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The Story of 

VALPARAISO 
UNIVERSITY 

^ ^ ^ 

GEORGE W. STIMPSON 



The Story of 

VALPARAISO 
UNIVERSITY-^ 

Including an Account of the 
Recent Period of Turbulence 



v/By 

Stimi 

by/ 



George W. Stimpson 



With an Introduction by/ 
JACOB B. FARRIS- 



PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 
1921 



OOJM^, 



m 2 






Copyright, 1921 

BY 

George W. Stimpson 



0)CU624114^ 



HAMMOND PRCS8 
. CON KEY COMPANY 
CHtCAOO 



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INTRODUCTION 

IN presenting this historical sketch of Valparaiso University, 
George W. Stimpson, the author, who has been a student 
in the institution for several years, tells of the life and tradi- 
tions of the college. The work deals with episodes and events 
in its history. To the newcomer it presents the life of earlier 
times ; to the alumni and old students it revives memories of 
other days and other scenes familiar to them. It performs a 
distinct service to University history and to the literature of 
the institution by crystallizing in lasting form the impressions 
and manifestations of a turbulent period. 

A perusal of the sketches discloses that they cover many 
aspects of life in the institution. The author has told them 
with decided effect, using a material that is rich in interest. 

In preparing this history, the general truth is rigidly 
adhered to. The object of the work is to acquaint the reader 
with a true version of Valparaiso University. It will be ob- 
served that the work begins with the early history of the 
school and gradually brings out the conditions and traditions 
leading to the deposal of President Hodgdon. 

The attention of the reader is called to the copies of written 
letters which appear in the work. These are true and correct 
type reproductions of the originals and are a large factor in 
publishing a complete history of University affairs. 

In preparing this Story of Valparaiso University, Mr. 
' Stimpson has been guided by his experience at Valparaiso, 
extending over a period of five years, first as a student in 
the High School department, and later as a student in the 
department of arts and sciences, and more recently in the 
School of Law. During this time he has taken an active part 
in the affairs of the college and it may not be considered 
presumptuous, therefore, for him to offer the public a history 
of the institution. 

While others have seized every opportunity unblushingly 
to avow and zealously to propagate opinions destructive to 

5 



6 IXTRODUCTION 

"the good name of the University, it would ill become any 
individual of contrary convictions to remain silent in its 
defense, when called upon, as Mr. Stimpson has been, by 
an occasion like that which has offered itself. 

Mr. Stimpson writes not to please or displease anj-one, but 
writes according to the dictates of his mind and the welfare 
of Valparaiso University, and trusts this history will meet the 
approbation of those whose good opinion he is most solicitous 
to obtain. The rhetorical aspect of a correct and artistically 
worded story ma}- be absent, as he does not lay claim to the 
distinction of being an author. The sketches were written 
during odd moments, while surrounded bj' the unceasing 
activities for which Valparaiso is famed. 

It is to be hoped that through this little volume he may 
find the realization of his most ardent desire — setting aright 
a misinformed and mistaken idea of Valparaiso Universit}', 
America's "Poor Man's Harvard," and if in the years to come 
this history will in some way tend to recall memories of days 
spent here, then it will have served a purpose and the author's 
reward will be complete. 

JACOB B. FARRIS. 



CHAPTER I 
The Valparaiso Male and Female College 

THE beginning of Valparaiso University lies beyond the 
time when Henry Baker Brown established the Northern 
Indiana Normal School and Business Institute. Before Mr, 
Brown came the names "Valparaiso College," "College Hill," 
and "College Avenue" had become household words to the 
people of Porter County, and the Old College Building stood 
as a monument of a former attempt to maintain a college in 
Valparaiso. Without these previous efiforts on the part of 
the community Mr. Brown could not have made possible the 
important educational achievement — Valparaiso University. 

The non-existence of high schools and the lack of higher 
educational institutions under the supervision of Protestants 
in Northwestern Indiana favored building a college at Val- 
paraiso. Besides, a college would bring academic opportunities 
close to home, enlarge the town by attracting students and 
others seeking the privileges of a scholastic center, enhance 
the value of property, and increase the general prosperity by 
bringing thousands of dollars into the community — all cir- 
cumstances which, combined with an excellent location and 
a good climate, confirmed the already favorable disposition 
toward the proposed institution. 

The Northwestern Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church offered to build and govern the college, the plan being 
to establish a co-educational school accommodating from three 
to five hundred students, the purpose of which was to promote 
education and religion generally and in no way to interfere 
with religious and sectarian preferences. The Board of 
Trustees decided to call it the Valparaiso Male and Female 
College. They wished "to open the first term in the fall of 
1859, and fifteen acres of the old Freeman estate was pur- 
chased, composing the part of the Hill now bordered by 
Locust Street on the west, by Union on the north, by Garfield 

7 



VALPARAISO COLLEGE 9 

on the east, and by the Pennsylvania Railway on the south, 
thus determining the position of the future Valparaiso Uni- 
versity. At a meeting in the courthouse the people of the 
town and county donated nearly six thousand dollars, and the 
trustees proceeded to put up a wooden building to be used 
for the college until a more substantial one of brick could be 
erected, this temporary structure being built without delay 
where Music Hall now stands. 

Over sixty years have made a great change in Valparaiso 
since the little college was built in the woods southeast of 
the public square. The population was then only fifteen hun- 
dred, the churches and schools were small and poorly built, 
the streets were rough and unpaved, the Hill was covered with 
timber and underbrush, and the only way to reach the college 
grounds was by a path through the woods and fields, the 
streets on the Hill having been laid out contemporaneously 
with the building of the college. 

The Valparaiso Male and Female College opened the 21st 
of September, 1859, with three departments, a faculty of six, 
and an enrollment of seventy-five. The Rev. C. N. Sims was 
elected President of the faculty, but not being able to take 
charge in person the first term, Francis D. Carley, professor 
of mathematics and natural sciences, acted as principal in his 
stead. The school year consisted of three terms, the fall term 
opening about the middle of September, the winter term about 
the last of December or the first of January, and the spring 
or summer term in the early part of April, an arrangement 
which was retained until the suspending of the college. 

As soon as possible the Trustees put up the permanent col- 
lege building. The contract was given to John N. Skinner, 
who should be remembered in connection with the early col- 
leges and schools of Valparaiso. Foremost in advocating a 
project for the benefit of the community, he ably appealed to 
his fellow citizens at the first college meeting to support the 
new school, himself subscribing one thousand dollars. Loved 
and respected for his unceasing labors for the general welfare 
he later was many times elected Mayor of Valparaiso, and 
when the college began to languish he again came forward 
with substantial aid. The editor of the Republic spoke of him 



10 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

as "Regal John, the prince of ^ood fellows, the man whose 
heart is in the right place." Although the college building as 
planned would cost twent^'^-five thousand dollars, and the 
Trustees did not think that building should begin until ten 
thousand of this should be raised, Mr. Skinner began con- 
struction at once. A Valparaiso man, writing in the autumn 
of 1859, saj's : "The brick building will be commenced this 
fall, and finished next summer, and will be three stories high 
and as large on the ground as the liberality of the people will 
make it." 

April 25, 1860, the corner-stone of the Old College Building 
was laid. A large crowd assembled on the public square, and, 
led by the village band, advanced in a long procession to the 
college grounds. After the benediction and an address by 
the Rev. A. A. Gee, articles of historic interest were deposited, 
and then "The corner-stone was laid due east and west, accord- 
ing to ancient rules, by a number of members of the craft." 
The central part of the building w^as completed late the same 
fall. It was placed on the side of the college grounds most 
remote from the town, because the location is ideal for the 
chief building of a college, and this arrangement added to 
the value of the lands lying between the college buildings 
and the town. If the trustees considered the matter at all, 
it is likely that they regarded the proximity of the railway 
to the college as an advantage. 

Under the leadership of 'Mr. Sims the college grew from 
an enrollment the first year of 157 to 327 the second. To 
\ train teachers for the public schools a normal department was 
jadded, and philosophy, sciences, ancient languages, and music 
'^were taught, together with. all academic subjects. The Primary 
Department was popular with the people in the community. 
"When we remember the long period of time that was con- 
sumed before any of the colleges of the Union were able to 
present a thorough course of study and a full corps of 
teachers, we turn with feelings of pride to the progress and 
prospects of the Valparaiso ]\Iale and Female College — the 
5'oungest university, we believe, in the United States." Such 
were the sentiments of a Valparaiso editor after visiting the 
college. 



VALPARAISO COLLEGE 11 

Literary societies, debating clubs, and other organizations 
added life and interest to the institution. At one time the 
Calliopean Society, composed of gijrls, organized the first year 
and continuing until the suspending of the college, consisted 
of more than fifty, and many were the socials, suppers, fes- 
tivals, picnics, contests, and other amusements which this 
society provided for pleasure and profit, raising money for 
the first library in Valparaiso, and also publishing a society 
paper, the Calliopean Echo, which added much toward arous- 
ing a co-operative spirit among the students. The Philo-^ 
mathean and Berean, literary societies, organized the first year, , 
and the Philological, a scientific society, formed later, were 
composed of men, and under the auspices of these societies, 
jointly or severally, most of the speakers who spoke in chapel 
hall came to Valparaiso. Since dancing and playing cards 
were forbidden, and there were no shows, the students of 
Valparaiso College amused themselves in winter by skating 
and other winter sports, and in summer by organizing ball 
clubs, besides participating in all seasons in the entertainments 
and meetings of the college societies. 

Several teachers of the Valparaiso Male and Female Col- 
lege should be remembered. Francis Carley, first principal and 
long literary editor of the only Valparaiso paper, was a man of 
genial personality and well liked; his sister Delia was also 
popular in the college; Prof. H. W. Allen, who came the third 
year, stood high in scholarship and esteem ; and Professors 
Utter and Banta were both highly regarded for their talents 
in the latter years. 

Elaborate programs were prepared for commencement and 
several days were spent in examinations, after which followed 
exhibitions by the college societies, reunions of the alumni, 
farewell gatherings, meetings of the faculty and directors, 
and finally the Baccalaureate Address, during which time the 
streets of Valparaiso were crowded with people from Porter 
and the adjacent counties. Everyone was invited to attend 
the examinations, which were held in Chapel, now Elocution 
Hall. The instructor having finished asking the class ques- 
tions, he distributed text-books among the guests, requesting 
them to ask the students any questions which could be 



12 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

answered from the book. The visitors would try to catch 
the students on hard points, but so thorough was the instruc- 
tion thej* were seldom successful. 

The scarcity of rooming and boarding halls m.ade it neces- 
sary for m.any students to live at a distance from the school; 
but the ever-increasing demand resulted in the erection of 
several new buildings, a number of which are still standing. 
Some students boarded themselves, while others boarded and 
roomed in private families, where the price ran from $3.2o 
to $3.75 a week. Tuition ranged from $12.00 to $15.00 a 
term, w-ith extra charges for music, French and German. In 
1867 an omnibus line was established between the town and 
college. Upon the outbreak of the Civil \A'ar the prosperity 
of the Valparaiso Male and Female College suffered a shock 
which ultimately caused its extinction. The second year was 
the largest in numbers ; a few prosperous terms followed, but 
the atmosphere of thrift which characterized the first two 
years gradually disappeared. A depleted treasury and a 
change of public opinion, immediate results of the national 
crisis, made the downfall of the school imminent. 

The following, written in ^Maj^, 1861, suggests the spirit 
of the occasion : "Tuesday morning the students of the Val- 
paraiso Male and Female College hoisted from the topmost 
summit of the college dome the noble flag of our Union. 
Repeated cheers arose from the little patriotic band of students 
and friends below when the first breeze unfurled the Stars 
and Stripes on high. The last long, lingering applause had 
scarce!}' died aw^ay when the college choir heightened the emo- 
tion of the pleasure b}' singing several of our celebrated 
national airs, all endeared to us b}- associations with our 
country's history. A few of our friends favored us WMth 
speeches. President Sims was the first to, reply. Very beau- 
tifully did he contrast our Banner of Liberty with the Serpent 
Palmetto Flag of Slavery." The South had fired on Fort 
Sumter, and these patriotic students knew that they would 
be called to participate in the fearful struggle at hand. Presi- 
dent Sims resigned in March, 1862, Of the old school of 
educators, diverting little from the routine of duty, Mr. Sims 
was not popular with the students, but he was held in high 
esteem for his eloquence and scholarship. 



VALPARAISO COLLEGE 13 

The Rev. E. H. Staley, successor of Mr. Sims, who was 
well liked by both students and townspeople, made an effort 
to place the institution on a permanent basis, but it was diffi- 
cult to get the public interested in anything except the war, 
though many improvements were made, courses re-organized, 
higher degrees granted in classical and scientific work, and 
the college was placed under the direction of eighteen trustees 
living in different parts of Northwestern Indiana. But the 
war continued to draw away the students and prevent new 
ones from coming in, and Mr. Staley resigned, taking up hos- 
pital work in General Sherman's army, whence he later re- 
turned to Valparaiso, sick and worn out by his labors. He 
was succeeded by the energetic B. Wilson Smith, who im- 
mediately had the building repaired, made arrangements to 
admit "war orphans" and wounded soldiers without tuition, 
devoted part of the college for public school work, admitted 
the children of patrons free, and introduced courses in physical 
training, elocution, and other subjects hitherto barred, but 
without favorable results. The number of students continued 
to decrease, the finances became exhausted, and Mr. Smith, 
after three years of work in the institution, like his pred- 
ecessors, resigned. 

When Thomas B'. Wood became president a meeting was 
held on the Hill at which the citizens of Porter County gave 
twenty-five thousand dollars for the preservation of the col- 
lege. A College Aid Society was organized, entertainments 
were given for the benefit of the college, an addition to the 
Old College Building was built for a girls' dormitory, several 
houses were put up, and everything apparently began to 
flourish. The Collegiate Department offered classical, scientific 
and English courses, and both A. B, and A. M. degrees were 
given, to which was later added the B. S. The Preparatory 
Department was enlarged and improvements were made in 
the Departments of Music and of Modern Languages, and 
even a Telegraphy Department was annexed; but there was 
no increase in the number of students and ]\Ir. Wood also 
withdrew. 

In November, 1869, Mr. Aaron Gurney accepted the presi- 
dency of the college. Lawyer, minister, editor, and educator. 



14 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

the Trustees thought he was the only man who could save 
the school. The literary societies and the college papers, the 
Monitor and the Echo, began to languish, and most of the 
characteristics of a literary institution disappeared. Mr. Gur- 
ney had been appointed too late, for hardly a hundred students 
were in attendance, and with an empty treasury the close of 
the college was only a matter of time. Elaborate appeals were 
published in the local papers, but the only two departments 
which received many students were the Music and the Com- 
mercial, Professors J. W. Ruggles and G. W. Hewitt, of these 
two departments, having considerable temporary success. 
Scholarships were sold and an effort was made to endow the 
college, but all these efforts were in vain, and with the hope 
of getting an endowment in the future, the trustees decided 
to suspend the college for one year. Three men were in- 
trusted with the affairs of the institution and an investiga- 
tion made to determine the requirements of continuing. These 
men decided that, regardless of what might happen, the col- 
lege property was never to be disposed of for any purposes 
other than education. 

The Old College Building now stood vacant, a stone over 
the grave of the Valparaiso Male and Female College. Swifts 
stuffed its chimneys, spiders spun their webs on its walls, 
doves perched in its steeple, owls nested in its belfry, and 
bats haunted the halls which has so long reverberated the 
words of learning. Who then could have foreseen that this 
venerable old pile would some day become the center of a 
university with its alumni living in nearly every nation of 
the world? Such never would have come to pass had there 
not lived a man who saw far into the future, who dreamed 
dreams of service to humanity, and who possessed the courage, 
wisdom and genius to realize his dreams. 



CHAPTER II 

Beginning of the Northern IndiAxVa Normal School and 
Business Institute 

THE Trustees of the Valparaiso Male and Female College, 
confronted with the problem of disposing of the college 
property, thought, inasmuch as the public had given the money 
to establish the school, that another attempt should be made 
to maintain an institution of learning for the benefit of the 
community. Three years later, in 1873, Henry Baker Brown 
learned of the college. Mr. Brown was born on a farm near 
Mt. Vernon, Ohio, October 6, 1847. At the age of fifteen 
he began to teach a country school, and from his humble 
earnings saved enough money to take a short training course 
at the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, after which / 
he entered the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, 
wh^re he was graduated in 1871, and where he studied under 
Professor Harrison Carver anff'became acquainted with Mr. 
and Mrs. Kinsey and Miss Mantie Baldwin. Upon his gradua- ^^.^ 
tion he become Professor of Mathematics in the Northwestern 
Normal School at Republic in the same state. 

Mr. Brown was informed of the opportunity at Valparaiso 
by a student named Ira Hoops, who had formerly attended 
the Valparaiso Male and Female College, and ambitious of 
opening a school of his own and urged by his friend Miss 
Baldwin, he made further inquiries in regard to the college. 
Thinking President Ricnards of the Northwestern Normal 
School w(5uld endeavor to dissuade him from his purpose, 
he went to Valparaiso without communicating his intentions 
to any but his most intimate friends, and upon reaching 
Valparaiso, after eating lunch at the old Gould House, he 
immediately called upon Mr. Freeman, one of the Trustees. 
Prominent in establishing the college and among the most 
enthusiastic to have it continue, Azariah Freeman obviously 
wished to interest Mr. Brown in the project. The Trustees 

15 




HENRY BAKER BROWN 



THE NORMAL SCHOOL 17 

offered to repair the building and let him have the use of 
it without rent, assuring him of the support gtnd co-operation 
of the communitj^ Mr. Freeman being of the opinion that at 
least thirty students would enter the first term.. 

To begin a college in this ramshackle building, without 
money, and in a strange town several hundred miles from 
an acquaintance, did not at first appeal to Mr. Brown, theij^ 
only twenty-six years of age. The grounds were grown up 
with weeds and underbrush, the windows broken, the bell 
removed, the apparatus in the laboratories destroyed, and 
most, of the furniture marred or demolished, every boy in 
the neighborhood having made a special target of the college 
building. Wishing to consult his friends in Ohio, Mr. Brown 
did not accept the offer until a few days later. 
v^ Mr. Brown, with Miss Mantie E. Baldwin, Martin E. 
Bogarte, B. F. Perrine, and Miss Ida Hutchinson, who had 
decided to accompany him as members of the faculty, now 
made arrangements to come to Valparaiso. To place the 
proposition properly before the public, fifteen hundred circu- 
lars were printed in a neighboring town, Mr. Brown and his 
colleagues wishing to keep knowledge of the undertaking 
secret, and a series of articles dealing with the principles 
and purposes of the institution to be established was published 
in the Valparaiso papers. Considerable discussion having re- 
cently arisen in respect to the fundamental and original prin- 
ciples and purposes of the school, and knowing that Miss 
Baldwin, one of the founders, prepared these articles, I think 
them of sufficient importance to quote at length here. The 
first appeared in the Porter County Vidette, June 12, 1873, 
under the title "Normal Schools," and is as follows : 

**Two questions are now engrossing public attentions (1) 
What kind of an education is adapted to the wants of the 
whole community? (2) How is it to be made easily accessible 
to all? 

"A reply to the first of these questions needs no ingenious 
argument. We all concede that the present age is one of pro- 
gression, one of improvement, and especially one of activity. 
The time has now come when man cannot be idle, cannot 

2 



18 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

wait. So rapidly does the car of progression move forward 
in its course that for us to stop is almost certain ruin or 
failure. We must work in the age in which we live. The 
spirit of our age demands an education that will prepare the 
student for life as it is, real, active life. We may be ac- 
quainted with all the mathematics and thoroughly versed in 
all the classics ; yet if we know not how to use this knowledge, 
what will it avail us? No, we need an education that can be 
used in everyday life. 

"How is an education to be made truly accessible to all? 
This is an important question and demands our most worthy 
consideration. 

"Is it true that we must devote five, six, or ten years to 
the purpose of acquiring an education? Is it true that we 
must be wealthy before we can secure this? If so, then it is 
not accessible to all. Does it not seem reasonable that there 
ought to be improvement in this direction? We do not reap 
our grain with a sickle as did our forefathers ; we - do not 
mow our grass with the scythe ; it does not require five or 
six days to go to mill. Why? Because of improvement! 
In all the departments of life, except education, we see marked 
progress. The remark is frequently made by our aged friends : 
'Our schools are not in as good a condition as they were when 
I attended school.' Why do we not see more improvement? 
Why these remarks? Simply because there is not as much 
work in the educational field as in other departments of life. 
We have no schools in which our teachers may prepare them- 
selves for their work. In other words, education is not 
accessible to all. In our present school system, the poor have 
not the means to secure the advantages desired, and the rich 
too frequently buy their way through college ; thus the cause 
of education is retarded. We want a school where both rich 
and poor may secure a thorough, practical education in as 
short a time, and with as little expense, as possible. 

"A school that, we think, will meet the demands of all 
will be established at Valparaiso. This school will open its 
first term on the third Tuesday in September, 1873, in the 
Valparaiso Male and Female College Building, and will be 
known as the Northern Indiana Normal School. 



THE NORMAL SCHOOL 19 

"This school will present many advantages to the young. 
It will have no endowment, and therefore must depend upon 
its own merits for its patronage and support, thus causing 
' the teachers to exert every energy in order that entire satis- 
faction may be given, 

"A student taking a three years' course in this institution 
will secure an education equivalent to a six years' course in 
many of our colleges, hence making it the cheapest and most 
profitable school in the West. 

"Superior advantages will be presented to teachers. How 
shall I teach? What shall I teach? How shall I make the 
schoolroom a pleasant resort for my pupils? And a host of 
similar questions will receive special attention. 

"In short, it is designed to make this one of the most 
practical and living schools of the age. We hope that its 
merits and the manner in which it is conducted will be suffi- 
cient passports to public attention. 

"With this hope and claiming only that indulgence and 
forbearance, which is the common right of all, and which we 
know a kind and courteous public will grant, we present our 
views and plans to the candid consideration of the teachers 
and friends of education." 

July 3, 1873, the following advertisement was published 
in the Porter County Vidette: 

"The Northern Indiana Normal School will open its first 
term Tuesday morning, September 16, 1873, and will continue 
eleven weeks. Classes will be formed in all the common 
branches— Algebra, Geometry, Botany, Latin and German. It 
is designed to make this a thorough training school for f 
teachers as well as those who wish to enter any other pro-/ 
fession. Especial attention will be given to the methods of 
teaching and other school government. 

"Those desiring to take a complete Business Course will 
find superior advantages in the Commercial Department. We 
do not propose to be excelled by any other popular Com- 
mercial College, 

"The Principal is making great efforts to render everything 
as pleasant and home-like, and at the same time as cheap as 



20 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

possible. Arrangements will be made to supply furnished 
rooms and good table board at $3.00 a week. Furnished or 
unfurnished rooms for self-boarding can be had at very low 
rates. Private board, $3.50 to $4.00 a week. Tuition is $7.00 
a term, payable in advance. 

"While the moral and religious interests of the school will 
receive most careful attention, yet no sectarianism will be 
introduced or encouraged. For further information address 
H. B. Brown, Principal." 

Two weeks after the foregoing the following was published 
in the Valparaiso Messenger under the heading "The N-ormal 
Idea" : 

"No institution of learning, no matter how judicious its 
course of training, or how extensive its curriculum, claims 
to do more for its students than simply to give them the 
groundwork of an education. To claim more than this is 
absurd in the extreme, for all through life we are learning, 
hence the brief time that is given to the completion of the 
course of study is not sufficient to perfect us for this work. 
But if by the most rigorous course of training we obtain a 
general idea of the branches taught, and the knowledge of 
using what is learned, we have accomplished what thousands 
do not who devote many years to the acquirement of an 
education. 

"We propose very briefly to present the normal or natural 
plan of laying this groundwork, and if possible to explain 
how it is that both time and money are saved by attending 
a normal school. 

"We claim it to be the first principle of a sound educational 
philosophy, that the powers of the mind should be cultivated 
by the most natural order; and by natural order we under- 
stand the order in which they would naturally unfold them- 
selves were they subject to no artificial control. We follow 
this order because nature will thus more willingly follow us. 
It will not do to war against nature, for in every battle we 
will most surely be defeated. Every violation of her law 
receives its just punishment. How quickly the child becomes 
familiar with this. Its earliest training is in her school. How 



THE NORMAL SCHOOL 21 

readily it learns to distinguish differences; how enthusiastic 
it becomes over its* little toys; how excitedly it runs to its 
mother with the first rose of summer, exclaiming, 'How 
pretty' ; how earnestly and with what close application does 
it continue its study of the beautiful. Thus nature leads it 
onward and upward, making its hfe full of enjoyment and 
happiness." 

Thus we see that Mr. Brown and Miss Baldwin had a 
clearly defined ideal, which was to establish a non-sectarian, 
self-governing and self-supporting co-educational school where 
work, not wealth, is the standard, where every student is 
judged by his merits, and where both rich and poor may 
secure a thorough, practical education in as short a time and 
with as little expense as possible. 

While Mr. Brown was forming the details of his plans, 
William E. Blank, who had attended a country school taught 
by him, Pearly Sherman and another student, all taking work 
at the Northwestern Normal School at Republic, came to 
Valparaiso to prepare the Old College Building for school in 
September, In the latter part of August, B. F. Perrine, a 
friend of Mr. Brown, came to assist the three students in 
making arrangements for the opening of the Normal. A few 
days later Mr. Brown drove all the way from Ohio in an open, 
one-horse carriage, with his trunk, which contained practically 
everything he had, tied behind the seat. Though he had only 
two hundred dollars in money, energy, determination, faith 
in the future, and a thorough understanding of the educa- 
tional needs of America stood him in stead. A short time 
before the opening of the term Miss Baldwin and the other 
two teachers reached Valparaiso. 

Tuesday morning, September 16, 1873, the Northern Indiana 
Normal School and Business Institute opened in the Old 
College Building with three departments, five teachers and 
about thirty-five students. During the first year, owing to 
the embryonic state of the institution, the departments, the 
Normal, Music and the Commercial, were not definitely sep- 
arated, and no special division of work existed on the part 
of the faculty, each one doing anything and everything to 



22 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

insure success. Courses were given in Elocution, Penmanship, 
Higher Mathematics, and subjects in Engineering, taught b}' 
Professor Bogarte, then only nineteen years old, I\Iusic, under 
the supervision of Miss Hutchinson, Histor}^, Languages, 
Rhetoric, and Natural Sciences, in charge of Miss Baldwin 
and Professor Perrine, and subjects pertaining more par- 
ticularly to the teaching profession, under the instruction of 
Mr. Brown. 

The students, most of them public school teachers as old 
as Mr. Brown and Miss Baldwin, were satisfied with the 
faculty, the instruction, and the social life, a confidence which 
was essential to the institution. Mr. Brown had hoped for 
seventy-five the first term, but the enrollment reached only 
sixty-one, fourteen of which came wuth the teachers from 
Ohio, a fact which spoke well for the founders of the Normal. 

The bell, still hanging in the tower of the Old College 
Building, was put in during the term, and was first rung for 
the Northern Indiana Normal School by William Blank. Mr. 
Brown, Miss Baldwin, and Mr. Bogarte formed a library of 
their own books in a little room under the stairway in Elocu- 
tion Hall, in which faculty meetings were held. Mr. Perrine 
organized a club, under the management of Mrs. Hutchinson, 
in the basement of the college building where board was given 
for less than $2.00 a week. Mrs. Ramsey, mother of Mrs. 
Perrine, kept boarders and roomers in a brick house which 
stood on the present site of Science Hall. 

The teachers, the students and the people of the community 
were well satisfied with the first term of the Normal School. 
Mr. Brown received the support of the county because of the 
value that an institution adds to property and the prosperity 
it brings to business ; he received the support of the Methodist 
Church throughout the State of Indiana because his success 
was the only hope that the church had of selling the college 
building ; and he received the support of the students because 
he was offering them opportunities which they could not find 
elsewhere. Mr. Brown had the qualifications which recom- 
mended him for leadership wherever he came in contact with 
people, and confidence was immediately established among 
those whose good will he was most solicitous of obtaining. 



THE NORMAL SCHOOL 23 

The following editorial, appearing at the close of the first 
term, shows the interest taken by the community in the 
Northern Indiana Normal School : 

"Nothing gives us greater pleasure than to record the 
progress and prosperity of our home Normal. This week 
closes the first term. It has thus far surpassed the fondest 
anticipations of all interested ; so far as we have been able 
to learn, universal satisfaction has been given. A very good 
indication of this is the fact that about fifty of those in 
attendance expect to remain during the next term. The few 
who leave the school will teach during the winter and return 
in the spring. Ample preparations are being made in order 
that all who desire to attend during the winter term may be 
accommodated. The rooms and building will be in complete 
repair. 

*Tt is expected that this will be a very successful term. 
Students are coming from all quarters. The Principal says : 
'We have given but the dawning of what the Normal proposes 
to. do.' The Normal principles are truly the correct principles. 
The child should learn what it can use in after life. Prac- 
tical men and women are what the times demand. Practical 
teachers in our common schools are what we so much need. 
Northern Indiana is awake to its educational interests and will 
support a good school. More students are coming from Ohio, 
an additional recommendation for the teachers. Parents should 
send their children to the Normal. At no place in the West 
are the expenses less, accommodations better, or the methods 
of instruction superior. Let us all lend the enterprise a help- 
ing hand; aid it in its infancy, and in time we will be richly 
repaid for every favor." 

The editorial was followed by this announcement of the 
winter term : 

"The Northern Indiana Normal School and Business In- 
stitute will open its second term Tuesday morning, December 
9, 1873. The school has no endowment, hence the teachers 
must exert every energy in order that entire satisfaction may 
be given. Young ladies and gentlemen can secure a practical 
business education at this institution for less money than at 



24 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

any other place in the United States. There are positions open 
for all who take the full business course. 

"Beginning and advanced classes will be formed in all com- 
mon branches at the opening of every term. Those who can 
attend but one term will find this school especially adapted 
to their wants, since there are classes suited to every stage of 
advancement. 

"Arrangements have been completed that all who may 
desire to come can be accommodated with furnished rooms 
and board at a cost not exceeding $2.50 a week. During the 
past term these expenses did not average $2.25. Unfurnished 
rooms for self-boarding can be had for 25 cents a week, 

"German will be taught during the winter term without 
extra charge. Give the Normal a trial and be convinced that 
we do all that we advertise." 

Prudent advertising contributed much to ]\Ir. Brown's 
success, the greater part of which was owing to Miss Baldwin, 
who prepared the advertisements. The public was continually 
asked to investigate the methods of the school, thus placing 
the Normal in the position of standing before the people 
entire!}' upon its reputation for substantial service. The en- 
rollment reached 90 the winter term and 172 the spring term, 
an increase which was very gratifying to all interested. 

Student activities began to develop and the Northern 
Indiana Normal School became unified in all its branches. 
A Normal Congress, patterned after the United States Senate 
and House of Representatives, a baseball club, which played 
with the clubs in the cit}', a mock court, in which was prac- 
ticed legal procedure in considerable detail, and debating 
societies, composed of anybody who wished to participate, 
were organized by the students and the faculty ; and various 
entertainments, mostly literary and educational, furnished 
diversion and amusement, making college life pleasant and 
homelike, and laying the foundation for the preference of 
democratic educational and literary societies over fraternities 
and exclusive social organizations, a policy which later became 
traditional and gave Valparaiso a unique position in the 
collegiate world. 



THE NORMAL SCHOOL 25 

In the spring of 1874 Pearly Sherman, who had followed 
Mr. Brown from Ohio, died. Intelligent, faithful and in- 
dustrious, he had become a friend of Mr. Brown, and his 
death, more than anything before, accentuated the responsi- 
bility which the founder of the Normal had assumed in 
establishing an institution to train men and women for life. 
Mr. Brown was with him through all his sickness, was at his 
bedside when he died, and then took his body back to his 
home in Ohio. He now realized the great task which he had 
undertaken, the long years of labor and unceasing application, 
and the continual perplexities which would arise to harass him 
in building and maintaining the institution of his dreams, 
but he set to work with a resolute determination which knows 
no failure, and which placed him among the foremost edu- 
cators of his generation. 



CHAPTER III 
Henry Baker Brown and His Normal School 

THE purpose of this chapter is to trace the historical 
development of the seven years of Normal history lying 
between the close of the first year and the time when Oliver 
Perry Kinsey joined Mr. Brown, a period characterized by 
steady and unretarded growth in every activit}^ during which 
departments and courses were introduced, equipment was en- 
larged and improved, buildings were erected, and several able 
men and women added to the faculty, placing the institution 
on a par with the best schools in the country at that time and 
making Valparaiso known throughout the educational world. 

After making a short tour through Indiana and the ad- 
joining states at the close of the first 3'ear, Mr. Brown" sent 
out thousands of circulars, ran advertisements in many of 
the best papers of Northern Indiana, and lectured in a number 
of teachers' institutes on the teaching profession, meanwhile 
securing the services of some excellent teachers. At the be- 
ginning of the second term of the first year, George A. Dodge, 
operator at the Western Union Telegraph Office, established 
a class in telegraphy, which met with such success that Mr. 
Brown established a regular department of telegraphy, with 
Mr. Dodge as instructor. The department differed from the 
other departments of the school in that it was managed by 
Mr. Dodge on the percentage basis; that is, the head of the 
department received the tuition and paid the Normal a certain 
percentage for advertising the telegraphy work. German was 
also taught the second term by Prof. G. Bloch, who remained 
on the faculty for a number of years. Prof. W. A. Yohn 
joined the faculty in the fall of the second year, at first teach- 
ing the common branches, and later natural sciences. 

The Music Department, as we have seen, was one of the 
three original departments of the Northern Indiana Normal 
School and Business Institute. Miss Ida Hutchinson, first 

26 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 27 

teacher of instrumental music, remained associated with the 
institution but one year, when she was succeeded by Miss 
Lillie Chamberlin, an accomplished musician and excellent 
teacher of organ and piano. During the second year of the 
school, Prof. A. C. Euler, a student in the Normal, became 
instructor in vocal music, a position previously held by Pro- 
fessor Brown himself. A single piano in a little room under 
the stairway of Chapel Hall, afterwards Elocution Hall, about 
a dozen students, and two teachers. Miss Hutchinson and 
Mr. Brown, constituted the beginning of the Valparaiso School 
of Music. 

At the beginning of the second year rooms to the number 
of sixty were reserved by Mr. Brown in different parts of 
town, for there were no rooming halls, and every foreseeable 
preparation was made to accommodate all who should wish to 
enroll, but the attendance exceeded all expectations, more 
than 250 registering the first few days, and by the beginning 
of the second week there were 299, which number a short time 
later, when Azariah Freeman, formerly a Trustee of the col- 
lege, enrolled in fun, was increased to 300. At this time, 
upon several students refusing to enroll because of unsuitable 
rooming places, objecting to living downtown so far from the 
school, Mr. Brown announced his intention of moving the 
school elsewhere, which was probably no more than a diplo- 
matic way of appealing to the community for material aid 
in expanding the institution, already recognized as indis- 
pensable to the prosperity of the city and county. 

The Normal Collegian, a three column folio, published 
weekly at sixty cents a term, was established at the beginning 
of the second year under the editorship of I. G. Rawson. A 
catalog of twenty pages was now issued, taking the place 
of the little circulars, and giving a complete list of students 
enrolled and a full schedule of courses offered with the re- 
spective members of the faculty. According to the catalog 
there were 325 students the winter term of the second year, 
521 the spring term, and 691 the summer term, the entire en- 
rollment for the first two years being 1,250, most of which 
came from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, 
and Kansas, indicating the comparatively local nature of the 




MISS MANTIK K BALDWIN 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 29 

institutios. East Hall, begun in the fall of 1874, was com- 
pleted in 1875, and B. F. Perrine, later retiring from teaching, 
took charge of the rooming and boarding facilities. March 
11, 1875, much to the gratification of Mr. Brown and the* 
faculty, the following testimonial, showing the congenial rela- 
tions and co-operation between the school and the city, signed 
by Mayor Skinner, W. C. Talcott and E. Zimmerman, editors 
of the Vidcttc and the Messenger, W. H. Banta, superintendent 
of public schools, and twenty-six other prominent men of the 
city, was published in the local papers : 

"We, the undersigned, in behalf of the citizens of the City 
of Valparaiso, feeling that we owe a testimonial of respect 
and kind regard to the teachers and the students of the 
Northern Indiana Normal School and Business Institute, and 
as a partial expression of our good will, desire to say that we 
feel highly honored in having in our midst so large a number 
of young people who have in every way deported themselves 
as' become true ladies and gentlemen, 

"While at many institutions of learning there seems to be 
a spirit of discord and envy between the citizens and students, 
we can truthfully say from the beginning of this school, we, 
as citizens, have had no cause for any but the kindest of 
feeling; and that we gladly welcome you to our city, to our 
homes, and to our churches ; that our doors will ever be open, 
and that we shall endeavor to do all in our power to make 
your stay with us as pleasant as possible; hoping that as you 
shall complete your studies and go to new fields of usefulness 
you may ever sustain the standard of high moral deportment 
that has characterized you here; and as you shall leave, we 
hope that others, equally worthy of our regard and esteem, 
may come to take your places." 

The Collegiate Department was established the second 
year. It was composed of the Scientific and Classic classes, 
each consisting of fifty weeks' work, practically equivalent to 
two college years. The Scientific year was composed of lan- 
guages, history, natural sciences, and English literature, inter- 
spersed with minor subjects and drills, such as parliamentary 
law, debating, and penmanship, all of which, together with 
vocal music, Mr. Brown considered essential to anv college 



30 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

course, regardless of the ambition of the student. The Classic 
Class, the most advanced department of the school, was an 
extension of the subjects in the Scientific course, with the addi- 
tion of several subjects naturally included in a classic course. 
The Preparatory Department was maintained as a stepping- 
stone to the higher departments, and the Normal Department, 
the purpose of which was to train teachers, for many years 
was the most important branch of the institution. The first 
year of the Normal School consisted of three terms of ap- 
proximately twelve weeks ; the second year a fourth term was 
added, and later a short or review term of six weeks' dura- 
tion was held in the summer, thus making the school in ses- 
sion practically all the year around ; and finally, about the 
time Mr. Kinsey joined Mr. Brown, this plan was changed, 
and the year consisted of five terms of ten weeks each, an 
arrangement retained until comparatively recent times. 

In March, 1875, the members of the Scientific Class, the 
second to the highest department in the school, organized 
the Star Literary Society which soon became one of the most 
important organizations in the institution, continuing in exis- 
tence for many years. Before the close of the second year> 
Mr. Brown and John C. Flint, who was an extensive property 
owner on the Hill, made arrangements to build an addition 
to the college building, a wing west of the main part, and a 
boarding hall, three stories high, situated two blocks north 
of the college, called Flint Hall, now Heritage. The first 
commencement of the Northern Indiana Normal School took 
place on the 18th of July, 1875, in Elocution Hall, then the 
chapel, when Mr. Brown, upon conferring the honors of the 
Normal upon the first senior class, according to a reporter of 
the time, said : 

"This is the painful moment for me to bid you fare- 
well ; you have endeared yourselves to me in many ways, 
and it seems hard that we must part ; we have met day after 
day in recitation, but now the time has come when the most 
of us will do so no more ; in saying good-bye to a class, it 
requires a struggle on my part, only solaced by the hope 
that often we will meet again ; you have now begun for your- 
selves ; let nothing distract 3'ou from what is good ; idle no 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 31 

time away; God has given you powers — use them, and you 
will reap a rich reward; when you go out from us, do your 
best ; the sun will not always shine upon you ; dark clouds 
may sometimes intervene between you and a bright future; 
disperse them and surmount all difficulties ; we confer upon 
you the honors of the school — it is the best we can do ; you 
yourselves have to prove their worth ; we hope that you will 
understand that they are accompanied with the best wishes of 
the teachers of the Normal." 

After closing his address, Mr. -Brown told the class that 
his course had been determined and that he would remain in 
Valparaiso to build up the school, making it second to none 
in the country, and such that they as alumni would be proud 
of. At the same time Professor Bogarte, in appreciation of 
the kindly interest he had taken in them, was presented by his 
class, an elegant chromo, framed and mounted, an incident 
which suggests that he, though only twenty years of age, was 
even then one of the central figures in the Normal. With 
this scene the second year of the institution closed. 

In the fall of 1875 several members were added to the 
faculty, among whom were Prof. C. M. Winters and Miss 
Lodema Ward of the preparatory department; Miss Phenia 
Riley, drawing; Professors D. D. Rose and John Taylor, 
natural sciences ; and Prof. U. J. Huffman, instructor of a 
class in Phrenology, which is a professed science based upon 
the hypothesis that mental faculties and traits are indicated 
by the formation and contour of the skull, a subject which 
has long ago been relegated to the realms of superstition and 
fallacy, but which then was very popular. Professor Huffman 
was succeeded two years later by F. B. Franklin, who was 
followed by Professor Townsend. After a lapse of a few 
years the subject was revived in 1888 under Prof. P. L. Nichols, 
but it continued only a short time. The Normal was too 
practical for subjects of such nature. Miss Lucy Mathews, 
who had been vvdth Mr. Brown and Miss Baldwin at Republic, 
and who had intended to join the NorVnal the second year 
upon the opening of the collegiate department, at this time 
living in California, was announced as teacher of Latin and 
rhetoric, but circumstances prevented her from taking charge 



32 STORY OF J\ALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

of the work. Prof. J. W", Holcombe, a fine scholar and able 
educator, afterwards superintendent of ^ubHc instruction of 
the State of Indiana, became professor of Greek and Latin in 
the summer of 1876. 

The usual advertising was done in preparation for the 
coming year, ^Ir. Brown speaking at several teachers' insti- 
tutes, a practice continued throughout his life, and Miss 
Baldwin attracting favorable comment in the local press for 
a lecture on the teaching of geography which she gave at 
the Porter County Institute. ^Ir. Brown feared that the 
economic depression and the heav}- iloods in the South might 
diminish the attendance the third 3'ear, but 830 enrolled the 
first term, 991 the second, reaching more than 1,100 before 
the end of the year, of which nufhber a hundred were from 
Porter and fifty from Lake Count}*. 

Because of the necessarih- large classes in the Normal, 
owing to the shortage of classrooms, ]Mr. Brown received 
severe criticism from several educational men, and with in- 
tent of eliminating the difficult}', he continually added build- 
ings, but so rapid was the increase in attendance that, in 
spite of his efforts to overcome this defect in his system, the 
classes grew larger each term. The college addition was 
completed this year, making room for a laboratory, library, 
and reading room, besides several recitation and society rooms. 
Flint Hall, The Temple, which was a three-story dormitory 
standing where Commercial Hall now stands, and owned by 
Miss Christian, and several buildings of less importance, sup- 
plied additional rooms for the ever-increasing student body. 
The partition was removed from Elocution Hall that all 
students might attend chapel, or general exercises, which were 
compulsory. Besides ^Ir. Salisbury's bookstore, which stood 
on the plot of ground now south of the Auditorium, Mr. and 
Mrs. Perrine kept a bookstore on the second floor of the 
college building in which ]\Ir. Brown also had the Normal 
business office. In 1873, when the Normal was founded, there 
were no sidewalks on the Hill, a deficiency which, along with 
many others, was now supplied. 

The Normal Collegian, which ceased publication with the 
close of the previous year, was succeeded by the Normal 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 33 

Mirror, which soon grew into a sprightly sixteen page weekly. 
The Crescent Literary Society was formed this year, almost 
from the beginning becoming a rival of the Star, this rivalry 
growing so warm before the 3'ear was over that the Normal 
Mirror, to avoid any suggestion of partiality, was compelled 
to publish an equal amount, one full page, of society news 
concerning the two organizations each week. The B. O. B. 
Society, composed of members from the entire school, and 
the W. W. Society, a girls' organization, came into existence 
about the same time. At the beginning of each term there 
would be a great rush to increase the membership of the 
societies. The Crescent Society published a little paper called 
the Friday Evening Telegraph, and the Star had the Gas Jet, 
^fhich never became more than a little society paper. Many 
of the best contributions made to these college papers were 
made by Hubert M. Skinner, who later attained considerable 
distinction as a man of letters. About this time the Nor- 
malites, or students of the Normal, became known in the city 
and among themselves as "moss-backs." 

In December Mr. Brown went to Indianapolis to make ar- 
rangements for having the Normal represented in the State 
Teachers' Association. He now had an opportunity to demon- 
strate to the satisfaction of himself and the public the prac- 
ticality of the principles upon which he had founded his 
school. Regular class work always began the first day of the 
term and no time was ever lost for holidays. Owing to the 
shortage of rooms and teachers, it was necessary to hold 
classes from 6:30 in the morning to 9:00 in the evening, Mr. 
Brown himself teaching his special class for teachers at 6:30 
in the morning. Though during the year it was necessary 
to expel four or five students for improper conduct, for the 
most part there was little trouble, Mr. Brown's theory of 
discipline being to interfere as little as possible with the private 
life of the student, assuming that most of the young people 
in his school were there to study and were capable of caring 
for themselves. 

Professor Bogarte and Doctor Fish, who was then teach- 
ing a class in chemical analysis, were called upon to make 
an analysis of a piece of bread which figured in a murder 

3 



34 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

trial at Ada, Ohio, a work which they successfully performed. 
Mr. Perrine now purchased a new printing press and entered 
the publishing and book business upon a larger scale than 
heretofore. When the general debating society was . or- 
ganized, holding meetings each Saturday in chapel hall, Mr. 
Brown acted as chairman for the first term, showing the deep 
interest he took in student affairs, and explaining the great 
regard and esteem in which he was universally held by the 
students. A few dances -were given this year, but the greater 
part of the diversion consisted of participation in the societies, 
and the baseball clubs, several of which were formed among 
the students by states, known as the Indiana Club, Illinois 
Club, etc. In June this notice appeared in the college notes : 
"Prof, O. P. Kinsey, author of the 'Normal Debater,' was 
in the Vale one day last week." 

In May Prof. Amos C. Euler, who had been sick for 
some time, died. He was born in Medina, Ohio, and attended 
the National Normal University at Lebanon, where Mr. Brown, 
Miss Baldwin, and so many of the Valparaiso faculty had 
attended school. Coming to Valparaiso in the fall of 1874 
to take charge of the department of vocal music, he later 
graduated from the Scientific course, and after studying law 
under Judge Gillette, he was admitted to the Indiana bar. 
Upon the dissolution of the Philomathean Society, he became 
the first president of the new Star Society, taking a leading 
part in procuring a fine room for the meetings, for which 
he secured $50.00 from the people of the town. He was 
rooming at East Hall when he died, and the funeral was the 
largest ever held in Valparaiso at that time, the students of 
the Normal marching to the station in double file, and large 
numbers of people from the town and surrounding country 
coming to pay their last respect to the young teacher whom 
everyone -loved so well. 

So far the City of Valparaiso had done nothing to help 
Mr. Brown in a material way. August 3, 1876, the following 
was published in the Porter County Vidette : "The friends of 
the Normal assert that as Porter County is much benefited by 
the Normal and has done nothing as yet for it, a movement 
to assist Professor Brown in his efforts to place it on a 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 35 

permanent basis is only just and right." In October, 1875, 
Mr. Brown had purchased for $12,000 the college building 
from the Trustees of the Valparaiso Male and Female College, 
but owing to the great burden which it had imposed upon 
him at a time when he needed every available cent for the 
expansion and improvement of the school, the City of Val- 
paraiso, in view of the fact that they were largely benefited 
by the institution, purchased the building from Mr. Brown 
for the same amount which he had given for it, and gave him 
the privilege of redeeming the property within ten years, 
which, needless to say, he did. This paragraph is the announce- 
ment of the assistance given Mr. Brown by the City of 
Valparaiso : 

"At a meeting of our city council last evening an ordinance 
was passed buying the buildings of the Northern Indiana 
Normal School, which during its last term numbered 1,320 
students. This will tend to perpetuate the school and place 
it on a stronger position than ever. The event which took 
place shortly after 10 o'clock was hailed with much joy by 
our citizens, bells were set ringing, bonfires burning, and a 
large crowd waited on Mayor Skinner, accompanied by the 
Excelsior Band. The Mayor responded in a short speech, 
which was received with cheers." Agitation for more material 
support of the Normal took place the following spring, as is 
shown by this editorial published March 15, 1877 : 

"It would seem hardly possible that any person living in 
Porter County could, in the least, object to the Normal School 
or any reasonable assistance that may be furnished the same. 
Its presence makes much greater demand for wood, meat and 
all kinds of farm produce. It brings and undoubtedly will 
bring many good families to reside in our city. It adds much 
to the reputation of our city as an educational center, and is 
conducted so that our citizens have no trouble with students 
as is often the case where large schools are located. The 
advantages accruing from this institution are, to all appear- 
ances, permanent. The school has prospered during the ter- 
ribly hard times of the last two years ajid certainly will not 
retrograde now that good times are coming." Porter County 
later gave the Normal School $10,000, which was paid in ten 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 37 

annual installments of $1,000 each. So far as I have been 
able to learn, the temporary aid given by the city in pur- 
chasing the college building, leaving Mr. Brown the privilege 
to redeem it, and the $10,000 donated, by the taxpayers of 
Porter County, constitute the only material help officially given 
to the Normal School. 

In 1876 Miss Myra Miller succeeded ]\Iiss Phenia kiley as 
instructor in drawing. Prof. L. H. Reveal joined the faculty 
about this time, and the department of Fine Arts came into 
existence. . Other new members of the faculty were Prof. 
Myron Campbell, of mathematics, Prof. -J. A. Webster, of 
penmanship, and Prof. M. D. Mugan, who opened a class in 
phonography. An attempt had been previously made to or- 
ganize a department of phonography, but without success, so 
this class of Professor Mugan's may be said to be the be- 
ginning of the present department of phonography. 

Classes were held from 8 :30 o'clock in the evening instead 
of 9 :00 as previously, and a short or review term was intro- 
duced, thus keeping school in session continually. Some fric- 
tion arose between the students and the townfolk in regard 
to the delivery of the mail, and the postoffice, having at one 
time delivered the mail on the Hill daily, even attempting to 
have a branch office at the college, ceased to deliver the mail 
to the students on the Hill, a circumstance which necessitated 
the students calling at the postoffice for their mail, where 
they again came into conflict with the citizens by reason of 
their great number. The difficulty was finally overcome by 
having a student carry the mail, for which each student paid 
a small sum each week. 

The Normal Mirror, which had been published by Mr. 
Perrine, now died, Mr. Perrine devoting himself entirely to 
the book and printing business. An Alumni Association was 
formed with Professor Rose as president and Miss Lodema 
Ward as vice-president. During the summer Mr. Brown, 
owing to his strenuous work, was compelled to take a short 
vacation to recuperate. Sefton's Hall and Garrison's Hall 
were popular boarding places this year in addition to those 
already mentioned. The Star and Crescent were working 
hard to outdo each other in the presentation of plays, an 



38 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

inspiration for which Professor Bogart and his elocution 
class were probably responsible. Mr. Brown was every day 
increasing in favor, both among the students and the people 
of the town. Of his interest in his students a college reporter 
of the time says : "Nearly every member of the graduating 
class who desired a position as teacher for the next year, 
through the influence of Mr. Brown, succeeded in procuring 
a very desirable position. Professor Brown never ceases to 
work for his worthy students, even after they have graduated 
and are away from the school he is ever ready to assist not 
only in all difficult points of knowledge and order that will 
ever arise to bother and vex the teacher, but will also use his 
influence in procuring positions. This is well attested by the 
scientific class of last year and also many of the graduates 
of the business department who now hold lucrative and re- 
sponsible positions." 

Though the maples on the campus were beautiful in the 
summer time, in the winter the campus had the appearance 
of a wood yard, for Mr. Brown bought more than two hun- 
dred cords of wood and had it stacked about the college 
buildings until the students should buy it, an accommodation 
which was invaluable to the students, inasmuch as Mr. Brown 
usually re-sold the wood for practically what it cost him. 
The local reporter says : "Normal Hill is quite a city within 
itself, but extremely democratic; each student regularly visits 
his little wood pile and exerts his muscle thereon, trying to 
make some impression with the dull saw and still duller axe. 
The Normal store, Salisbury's, and the picture gallery do a 
thriving business. The boarding halls are filled and the chapel 
is crowded. Professor Brown has certainly made his enter- 
prise a grand success." In the winter of 1877 a newspaper 
reporter visited the Normal for a few days, and after attend- 
ing chapel, a number of classes, several society meetings, and 
other student activities, talking freely with Mr. Brown and 
the other teachers, and generally familiarizing himself with 
the past and present of the institution, wrote the following 
history and sketch from his conversations and observations : 

"In the year 1859 the Valparaiso Male and Female College 
was organized under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 39 

Church, which, although continued for a number of years, 
never attained any great degree of success, and finally sus- 
pended as a non-paying institution. In the summer of 1873 
the college property was purchased by Mr. Brown, a young 
man from Ohio, who at once proceeded to put the building 
in shape, and on the 16th day of September, 1873, began the 
first term of the first year of the Northern Indiana Normal 
School. It is not our purpose to trace minutely the various 
incidents connected with the institution during the past career 
of a little more than three years, but rather to speak of the 
present status, and attainments that have been the result of 
so short a period. The first term was organized with an 
enrollment of 35 students, and increased to 61 during the 
term. The second term numbered 90, and the third 173. And 
thus during each succeeding term the attendance has been 
greater than before, until the present (which is the third term 
of the fourth year) the enrollment has reached the unprece- 
dented number of 1,360 students. In the brief space which 
we shall devote to this institution we shall glance hurriedly 
at some of the most important features, regretting that space 
will not admit of a full and detailed account of its growth, 
system, and management. 

"The full normal course covers three years, divided as 
follows : First year, preparatory ; second, scientific ; and third, 
classic. The course of study embraces mathematics, sciences, 
languages, composition, history, literature, teaching, etc. The 
art of teaching and instruction in schoolroom duties is a 
special feature of this school, which differs from most of our 
state normal institutions from the fact that there are no rules 
restricting the student to a prescribed course of study. But 
each is allowed to choose for himself or herself as many or 
few studies as they may wish to pursue. All the various de- 
partments are presided over by teachers of thorough education, 
and in many instances of long experience. Classes are formed 
each and every month, and as the school is constantly in ses- 
sion (a recent arrangement), students can enter at any time, 
and be assigned to classes suitable to the various degrees of 
advancement. Those desiring a business education, or a 
knowledge of telegraphy, will find here facilities unexcelled 



40 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

by any other commercial college at much less expense. In 
each of these departments the arrangements are such as to 
impart a thorough and practical knowledge, bringing the 
student, as it were, into the actual business transactions of 
everj'day life. The management has secured the services of 
a thorough and experienced German teacher, and instruction 
in both German and drawing are given without extra charge 
to the student. 

"Literary societies, of which there are four of more than 
ordinary merit, two of which, the Star and Crescent, have 
nicely furnished halls, and will compare in respect with those 
of our largest' and oldest colleges. The B. O. B. Society is 
of more recent organization, and is composed of members of 
all the others, and is fast assuming a leading position in the 
literar}- department of the institution. Another important and 
desirable feature is a complete musical department, with every 
facility secured for the acquirement of a musical education 
that is found in the regular musical academies. The students 
are from nearly every state in the Union and from the 
Canadas, and thereby secure to each other the advantages of 
becoming acquainted through each other with the various 
methods of teaching, and the manner of conducting schools 
and various social systems that prevail throughout the land. 

"The utmost care is given to the sick, and, in fact, nothing 
is omitted to render the institution pleasant and homelike. 
The arrangements for boarding are ample and at the m.ost 
reasonable rates, the prices ranging from $1.90 to $2.40 a 
week, never greater than the latter amount, and which at that 
low price includes many things not furnished b}' other similar 
schools. The boarding arrangements are under the immediate 
supervision of the principal, and will be found superior to 
most establishments of like character. This is not merely a 
Normal School, but an establishment in which are embodied 
all the elements of our best collegiate institutions, and differing 
only from the latter in the fact that the same~Tesults may be 
accomplished in much less time and at less than half the 
expense. 

"The school buildings are numerous and principal!}- of 
brick, occupying an area of about six acres of ground upon 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 41 

one of the highest elevations in the city, overlooking the town 
and surrounding country. All the necessary apparatus for 
practical illustrations is supplied in all the departments; also 
a fine geological cabinet. A library of over two thousand 
volumes is a commendable and worthy feature. The elevated 
location is not only conducive to health, but fringed and 
studded as it is with elegant shade trees, must in summer 
present an appearance of rare beauty. Mr. Brown, the prin- 
cipal and proprietor, is a man of thorough education, an 
experienced teacher, and has in the past success of the institu- 
tion fully demonstrated his fitness for the work he has under- 
taken. And it should be a matter of pride, not only to the 
gentleman himself, but to every citizen of the beautiful city 
of Valparaiso that from the meager beginning of a mere 
handful of students the school has grown, during a period 
of little more than three years, to be the largest of its class 
in the United States." 

Only two or three weeks after the author of the foregoing 
article visited Valparaiso, the editor of the Rantoul News, 
Rantoul, Illinois, was the guest of Mr. Brown for three daj^s, 
and like the writer of the previous report, he also made care- 
ful observations as to the nature and management of the in- 
stitution, especially noting those progressive characteristics 
wherein it differed from other normal schools of the time. 
When he returned he prepared an article on the school, using 
it as an example for his state to follow, at the same time 
cautiously guarding himself from any charges of disloyalty 
to the community in which he lived. His editorial was entitled 
"College Departure," and is here reproduced because of the 
first-hand information it gives upon the conditions at the 
Normal in the winter of 1877 : 

"Our visit at the Northern Indiana Normal on Friday, 
Saturday and Sunday last, was a rare treat. This college is 
located fourteen miles south of Lake Michigan, near the 
northern line of Indiana, some forty miles east of Chicago, 
on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, in a 
locality sparsely covered with timber but not far from prairie 
and good farming lands. A beautiful lake covering an area 
one by two miles, supplied with all kinds of sailing boats and 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 43 

steamers for pleasure seekers, is only some two miles from 
the city and college. The city has a population of between 
five and six thousand inhabitants, is some forty years old, 
and bears the name Valparaiso. 

"As the management and the unprecedented success of this 
institution is clearly the outgrowth of a complete departure 
from all old line and time honored customs, we have con- 
cluded to make mention in this article of some peculiarities 
and substantial advantages. We want it distinctly understood, 
however, that we allow no one to outdo us in praise of the 
great State Institute of our own county, and we firmly believe 
no state in the Union can excel our own in its completeness, 
and our only objections are those of aged and fixed rules, 
set and sealed forms and usages that can under no circum- 
stances be deviated from without incurring the displeasure of 
all the old grannies of state or nation. 

"Mr. H. B. Brown, principal, founder, and sole owner of 
the college, received his education at Delaware and Lebanon 
colleges in Ohio ; is a single man, of middle age, medium 
stature, social, conversational, attractive, and very practical 
and determined. To know him is to admire him; to hear 
him is to be convinced; and to see what he has accomplished 
in three years is to wonder at his pluck and energy. From 
sixty-one students during the first term, it has continually 
increased until they now number over thirteen hundred. The 
curious and wonderful feature of Professor Brown's success 
can be all or nearly so attributed to the fact that he has no 
rules or set of rules to hamper in its progress. The students 
can do as they please, study just what they please, commence 
just where they please, leave off where they please, and have 
perfect freedom to room, eat, visit or sleep when and where 
their own inclination dictates, so long as that is inside of 
respectability and conforms to the rules of society. The only 
requirements are perfect lessons, prompt pay and a proper 
respect for the rights of others. In our three days' visit we 
never saw a more jolly set, better decorum, better manners, 
more quiet at the table, more real social intercourse than is 
displayed by that vast army of 1,300 students. 

"We conversed with many students and heard no com- 



44 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

plaints about the board, rooms, or treatment of the teachers, 
other than some thought there was a little too much push for 
perfect lessons. The school is so large that scholars can always 
find classes to suit their tastes and qualifications. All kinds 
of books are used, thus saving much expense on that score. 
Good board is furnished at $2.00 and $2.40 a week. Tuition, 
including German and drawing, $8.00 a term, everything fur- 
nished except lights and fuel, which are as reasonable there 
as at most other places. 

"Now, we don't advise everybody to go to Valparaiso to 
school, but we would suggest that some of our able and 
learned teachers in Illinois give Professor Brown's school 
an examination, and in case you are not convinced of its 
superiority, accept his challenge that is standing, and has been 
for two years, which is to match any class in his school of 
the same character or kind with a like class in any state 
normal. His class to have one term of eleven weeks ; the 
state normal to have three terms of thirteen weeks. If his 
class does not stand an examination as well, are not as fully 
qualified in every particular as the state normal, the prize or 
stake of $1,000 goes to the winning class. 

"There are some fifteen or sixteen different societies acting 
in competition with each other, each striving to get ahead of 
the other, and all without dictation or molestation by any of 
the principals, who, in fact, enter into contests with the 
students, seemingly with as much animation as any. There 
are five large rooms occupied by these societies each evenifig, 
so that there is no time for anything only push ahead in dif- 
ferent branches. Another singular feature is that a student's 
clothes and purses are not taken as a standard by which extra 
treatment is meted out. The poorest is in the eyes of the 
teachers as good as the richest, and commands as much atten- 
tion, which fact is always claimed for professors in all schools, 
but which, we are sorry to say, is seldom the case in any. Now, 
why can't such examples be set in our Illinois schools? Is 
it the Hoosier State only that can excel in this ? A people 
that pay annually ten millions for public schools certainly are 
entitled to the most improved and highest developed attain- 
ments and perfections," 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 45 

In the fall of 1877 Prof. C. W. Boucher, who had formerly 
been a student at the Normal, holding the office of President 
of the Star Literarj^ Society, and generally taking an active 
part in student affairs, became head of the Commercial De- 
partment, Mr. Boucher re-organized the entire business course 
and introduced the actual business method, a system at that 
time untried and considered as impractical by many of the 
best commercial schools in the country. This system was later 
adopted by hundreds of business colleges and high schools. 
By the year 1876 the department of music owned three pianos, 
an organ, and had an enrollment of nearly sixt}^ Miss Anna 
McAlill}^ a graduate of the class of 1876, remained to assist 
Miss Chamberlin, who in 1879 temporarily withdrew from the 
Normal to further pursue her studies in Boston, where she 
was married to Prof. Martin E. Bogarte, who was also study- 
ing in the same city. Mrs. Bogarte rejoined the faculty the 
following year and remained for many years. Upon the death 
of Professor Euler, in 1876, W. F. Speer became instructor in 
voice until 1878, when he was succeeded by Prof. Richard A. 
Heritage.. Mr. Heritage from this time on was usually spoken 
of as the principal or director of the music department, by 
both the citizens of the town, among whom he was very 
popular, and the students and members of the faculty, but he 
was not head of the department in the sense of a dean in most 
institutions, for he did not direct or arrange the courses of 
study, except in his own course in vocal music. 

Professor Bogarte now organized a regular class in elocu- 
tion, which became before many years one of the most im- 
portant classes of the school, and was the beginning of the 
department of public speaking and oratory. This class gave 
many recitals and programs in which the faculty and students 
participated, Mr. Bogarte himself reading and taking part in 
plays, and Miss Chamberlin and Professor Heritage rendering- 
instrumental and vocal musical numbers. The commencement 
exercises and program at the end of each year were composed 
of the special programs given by the Star and Crescent, the 
Music Department, the Scientific and Classic classes, and 
finally the alumni banquet, which was always provided by the 
institution. As new departments were added to the school, 



46 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

additions were accordingly made in the commencement affairs. 
In these days the greater part of the student body would go 
to church even-- Simday, a fact which gave ]\Ir. Brown much 
distinction among the church people for his able discipline. 
which consisted of little more than not interfering any more 
than possible with the private affairs of the students, having 
no requirements or rules of a purely formal and arbitrary 
nature except that all must attend chapel exercises and that 
all girls must be in the dormitories by 9 M o'clock each eve- 
ning imless they had special permission to the contrary-. 

The enrollment had reached more than sixteen hundred and 
improvements were continual!}- being made to the educational 
and social departments of the school. During this period, by 
his unceasing labor to help the worthy student, giving him 
every conceivable encouragement, providing him with self- 
supporting work, and going out of his way to show kindness 
and attention to the inexperienced and back^-ard, Henry Baker 
Brown acquired the title of "Poor Man's Friend," it being 
said that he often gave up his private office to provide lodging 
for a student or friend, and that he even had, upon several 
occasions, given his own bed to a stranger. The fact that the 
students and people of Valparaiso told and believed these 
stories indicates how universalh' Mr. Brown was loved and 
respected. In June, 1878, Mr. Brown announced in chapel that 
Prof. Harrison X, Carver would soon become a member of 
the Normal facult}-. A short sketch of ]SIr. Caner's life 
previously to his coming to Valparaiso appeared in a little 
booklet published at the time of his death, in 1917, from which 
I shall quote, inasm.uch as it was prepared bj- several of his 
life-long friends : 

"Harrison X. Carver was born in Freeport, Ohio, January 
8, 1840. His grandparents, of Holland stock, came to Free- 
port early in company- with the grandparents of Prof. 
O. P. Kinse}-. This was the beginning of the class fi^iendship 
between the two families, which lasted for three generations. 
He received his earh- education at Freeport and later entered 
Western Reverse University- for a college course. This was 
interrupted in 1860 when Mr. Carver answered President Lin- 
coln's first call for volunteers. He ioined the 98th Ohio, a 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 47 

famous regiment in General Thomas's command, and served 
the entire four years without once returning home. 

"Two incidents of this period show the character of the 
man. A neighbor woman who was sending her two sons, 
older than young Carver, to war, asked him to look after them. 
He promised to do so, and, when tendered a position on 
General Thomas's staff, he declined the offer because it would 
separate him from these lads. Later he was offered a cap- 
taincy but preferred to remain in the ranks. It was typical 
of him that he never sought nor received a pension. He gave 
freely for his country. After the war Mr. Carver became 
associated with Alfred Holbrook, founder of the National 
Normal at Lebanon, Ohio, and taught in that institution the 
same subjects he has taught at Valparaiso — Greek, Latin, and 
Philosophy." 

In this same booklet Mr. Kinsey wrote of his friendship 
and boyhood companionship with Mr. Carver as follows : 

"My mother was a Ridgway. The Kinseys, Ridgways and 
Carvers were pioneers in the woods of eastern Ohio. The 
Ridgways and Carvers settled upon adjoining farms. Pear 
trees planted by the first settlers, the grandparents of myself 
and Professor Carver, are still living and bearing fruit. 

"My earliest remembrance of Mr. Carver is when he was 
an assistant teacher in the village school which I attended 
during my fifth year. I remember distinctly there was then 
the same earnestness of purpose, intensity and devotion in ap- 
plication to letters, that was so characteristic throughout his 
whole long life. My next remembrance is when I was a lad 
of six years, when he and his brother went squirrel hunting 
and came over onto my grandfather's farm in pursuit of the 
game. The woods were then full and squirrels were common 
property, regardless of the ownership of the land. Mr. Carver 
was then in his sixteenth year and was at that time a very 
expert marksman; even his offhand unerring aim invariably 
brought the game from the tallest trees. They had quite a 
number of squirrels, and divided their findings with me, from 
which time began the friendship and companionship between 
myself and Mr. Carver, which lasted throughout his whole life. 

"About my tenth year Mr. Carver was teaching the local 



48 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

school in the district, which I was prevented from attending, 
having had an attack of scarlet fever. Mr. Carver had the 
same generous devotion to anyone who was inclined to study 
so characteristic'of his whole life, and came two evenings every 
week to assist me in my studies. This was always faithfully 
performed, regardless of weather conditions. In attendance 
at a small local academy, which was established for two or 
three \ears only, he overstudied and was obliged to be taken 
from schooL After a few months* recuperation he went to 
Hudson. Ohio, continuing his studies for a number of terms, 
taking high rank in the ancient languages and literature. 

"At the outbreak of the Civil War he was among the 
early volunteers. I was then in m\' twelfth 3'ear and my 
grief at his going into the army was all of that of a loved 
brother. He served throughout the whole of the war, without 
even accepting a furlough. The same democracy of spirit 
characterized his army work, in that he refused a captain's 
commission and a position on General Thomas's stafr. pre- 
ferring to remain with the boys in the ranks. 

"At the close of the Civil War he continued his teaching 
for a term or two, and then went to Lebanon, Ohio, from 
which institution he graduated, and where he continued his 
professorship in the ancient languages for a number of 5-ears. 
In 1868 I entered Lebanon University as a student, where 
our companionship was renewed, and where his advice, aid 
and direction in educational matters were invaluable to me." 

Miss Mantie Baldwin, looking back over those many years 
of hard work and sacrifice when Professor Carver stood at 
the head of the highest classic attainments and scholarship in 
Valparaiso, gives us this paragraph of his personalit},- and 
kindliness : 

"In the years since I first knew Mr. Carver, it has been 
my good fortune to be associated with him in both social and 
educational work. The almost awe with which I as a school 
girl regarded him was displaced by utmost respect for his 
great learning and strong regard for him. His modest\'; his 
true manliness and courage in all things right: his generous 
kindliness to all who needed help: his S3Tnpathy with suffer- 
ing ; his appreciation of earnest effort in study and elsewhere ; 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 40 

his subtle sense of humor and enjoyment of true fun; his 
noble and lofty ideals, all endeared him. to those who had the 
privilege to be associated with him either as students or 
co-workers." 

From the beginning Mr. Carver was popular among the 
students of the Normal. His scholarly lectures on Shakes- 
peare, history, and current questions added interest to the 
Star and Crescent meetings, and his wide reading and expe- 
rience never failed to provide a pleasing and instructive 
address at chapel. It is difficult for us to appreciate his wide 
reading, his great experience, his kindly personality, his elo- 
quent delivery, and his self-sacrificing devotion to the cause 
of scientific and classical learning. Only a few days ago, 
while speaking of the palmy days of Valparaiso's past, Miss 
Maritie Baldwin said to me : "Mr. Carver was one of the 
most learned men in all the West." No other person ever won 
so unique a position in Valparaiso life ; he embodied the 
classical culture of the institution ; he was indeed the dean 
of literature and culture in Valparaiso. In later 3^ears, briefly 
expressing the place of his department among the other 
schools of the university, Mr. Carver said : 

"The Classical Department was organized in the eighth 
year of the University. As stated in the catalogue of the 
school at that time, its purpose was to bring within the reach 
of young people those matters and things and views of life 
that have always been necessary for the truest efficiency in 
work and the highest enjoyment of the good things of life. 
It has never aimed to make scholars of its members, but to 
put them in way of making scholars of themselves so far as 
capacity and opportunity make that desirable. It has insisted 
upon the necessity of carrying on the work begun here, of 
keeping up the intellectual life and the formation of habits 
of wide reading. It has placed emphasis on the value of 
Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric as aids in reading. While not 
claiming for itself anything more than it willingly grants' to 
Science and the practical arts, it has always claimed for itself 
an equal importance in the formation of any high type of 
manhood and womanhood for one who wishes to make his 
world a home and not a den." 
4 



50 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

This was the ideal which Professor Carver had in mind 
when he came to Valparaiso and took charge of the Classic 
Class, a department of the school which now became in reality 
what it had been before merely in name. The first year he 
spent in Valparaiso he taught ten hours a day, besides con- 
tributing to nearly every other intellectual activity of the 
school. In the spring of 1879 Professor Carver organized a 
class in common law, using Blackstone's Commentaries as a 
text. A moot court was organized and the class attended the 
sessions of the Porter County Courts, studying procedure 
from actual practice. Not long after the class came into 
existence Col. Mark L. DeMotte was instrumental in estab- 
lishing law as a regular department of the Normal, like the 
Telegraphy Department, under the per cent system. Judge 
Hiram Gillette was the first regular law instructor, but Mr. 
DeMotte was considered the head of the department from the 
beginning. Professor Carver has the honor of arousing the 
interest which led to the founding of the Law School by 
Mr. DeMotte. 

In the two years 1879-1881 Mr. Brown succeeded in re- 
ducing board, room, and tuition to $1.80 a week, though he 
was compelled to increase tuition as a single item from $7,00 
to $8.00 a term. Prof. Allen Moore was teaching mathe- 
matics and Doctor Yohn held a class which he was giving 
as a stepping-stone to the study of medicine, Mr. Brown even 
this early in the history of the institution of the school mak- 
ing plans to introduce a medical school. A large number of 
books were added to the library and many buildings were put 
up. Commercial Hall was built on the lots formerly occupied 
by the Temple, which was destroyed by fire ; Flint Hall, which 
also burned, was rebuilt, though one story lower than before ; 
and many private dwellings and public rooming and boarding 
halls were erected, providing ample room for the rapidly 
growing student body, already approximating nearly 2,300, 
Tlie private halls raised the price of board to $2,00 a week, 
causing a larger number than ever before to take advantage 
of the low rates at East Hall and the other halls under the 
management of the institution. About this time many of the 
wood stoves, by which practically all the rooms were heated. 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 51 

were discarded in favor of the more economical and con- 
venient coal stoves. The heavy losses to students in the burn- 
ing of Flint Hall and the Temple led to the forming of a 
more efficient student fire company, an organization which 
continued in existence for many years, and which did good 
work, both as an individual unit and in connection with the 
city fire department. 

The Excelsior Debating Society was organized and the 
Normal Congress became more important each term. The 
Normal Educator, published at the Messenger office under the 
supervision of B. E. Shanham, was established, the subscrip- 
tion price being $1.00 a year. In the fall of 1880, Senator G. 
Blaine, stopping a few minutes at Valparaiso while on a tour 
through the West, asked to meet Henry Baker Brown, Presi- 
dent of the great Northern Indiana Normal School about 
which he had heard so much, a request which was performed 
by Colonel DeMotte, Dean of the Law School, just before 
Mr. Blaine's train left the station. I mention this to emphasize 
the position which Mr. Brown was now beginning to assume 
among public men the country over. Hundreds of men and 
women visited the school each year to observe the working 
of the educational principles of Mr. Brown and his Normal 
school. The following year Mr. Carver gave an oration on 
the public square in commemoration of President Garfield, 
an occasion memorable not only because of its relation to the 
martyred President, but also because of the sincere, scholarly, 
and eloquent address delivered by Professor Carver. He had 
served as a comrade in arms with Garfield during the Civil 
War ; under the command of their beloved General Thomas 
they had fought in a common cause; in the death of Garfield 
Mr. Carver lost a friend and comrade, and when he spoke 
of the martyred patriot he outdid himself, producing an ora- 
tion which will long be remembered in Valparaiso. 

The Northern Indiana Normal School was now looked 
upon as one of the most successful educational enterprises 
in the collegiate world. It had, in less than seven years, 
grown from three to ten departments, consisting of complete 
and practical courses in Preparatory Work, Science, the 
Classics, Business, Elocution, Telegraphy, Teachers' Training, 



52 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

Fine Arts, ISIusic, and Law ; from the one college building, 
which had during the first few years been used for chapel, 
recitation rooms, laboratories, college office, library, bookstore, 
society rooms, dormitor}-, and dining-room for both students 
and teachers, the institution had acquired, besides the west 
wing of the college building, East and South halls, the Com- 
mercial Building, Heritage Hall, Music Hall, and a number of 
lesser boarding halls and dormitories, and a complete working 
equipment for all its courses ; its teaching force of fiye — Mr. 
Brown, Miss Baldwin, Mr. Bogarte, Miss Hutchinson, and 
]Mr. Perrine — had been increased to nearly thirty able and 
experienced teachers and instructors, all devoted to the prin- 
ciples and purposes of the school and the cause of democratic 
education; and the student enrollment had grown from sixty- 
one the first term, the greater part of whom were from the 
immediate vicinity, to nearly two thousand, coming from every 
state in the Union and practically every civilized nation on 
the face of the earth. 

\\'hen ]\Ir. Brown came to Valparaiso he was young, 
physicalh- strong and mentally alert, with a definite ideal, a 
boundless ambition, and a tireless energy that did not know 
the meaning of rest. Failure or the impossibility of the task 
before him never occurred to him : leisure was not one of the 
component parts of his life; unceasing activity, intelligently 
and efficiently directed, was the law which dominated his career 
and was the chief source of his remarkable success in educa- 
tion and business. This great capacity for work, coupled with 
his unerring choice of able and faithful co-workers, constituted 
the chief source of his achievement. His life was a long- 
day of hard work and a series of wise selections in personnel. 
Miss Baldwin, jNIiss Chamberlin, ]Martin Bogarte, Richard 
Heritage, Hari-ison Carver, and C. \V. Boucher, even this early 
in his career, were examples of his able leadership and execu- 
tive capacity. 

But as the institution grew and the work became harder, 
i\Ir. Brown realized the magnitude of the undertaking. He 
would not long be able to manage the details of the school 
as he had done in the past. It was not unusual to see him 
carrying the suit-case of a student who had just come in, as 



HENRY BAKER BROWN 53 

he took the .newcomer to a room and tried to make him feel 
at home. He was a frequent caller at the bedside of the sick, 
and those in trouble or distress never failed to feel the kindli- 
ness of this silent, though genial personality. He attended 
innumerable meetings of the various educational and teachers' 
organizations throughout the country, always keeping in touch 
with the most progressive ideas, and he freely and unselfishly 
contributed to the advancement of educational and civic life 
in the community. He directed the general activities of the 
school, seldom failed to preside at the weekl}^ faculty meet- 
ings, and almost invariably conducted the chapel exercises. 
Visitors at the Normal found him a kindly and generous host, 
ever ready to entertain and accommodate the stranger who 
came to see the Normal. Upon one occasion, after returning 
from a session of the State Teachers' Association held at 
Indianapolis, he came through a driving snowstorm and blind- 
ing blizzard, all the way from Kouts, Indiana, at 3:00 o'clock 
in the morning,, that he might not fail to meet his 6:30 gram- 
mar class. But every term the enrollment grew larger, more 
teachers were necessary, the shortage of rooms, in spite of 
the building, rapidly increased, and the work of managing 
the school became harder. 

This was the situation in the winter of 1880 when Mr. 
Brown wrote to his friend Mr. Kinsey, member of the faculty 
at Lebanon, asking him to come to Valparaiso. Mr. Brown 
said that he should be unable to proceed with the undertaking 
if he did not get somebody to help him soon, and that he was 
desirous of securing someone who would be willing to become 
part owner with him, assuming a half share in its business 
interests and its moral responsibilities. The Porter County 
Vidette for February 12, 1880, announced: *Trof. O. P. 
Kinsey, of Lebanon, Ohio, has been visiting the Normal for 
a few days. He is well pleased with the condition and work- 
ing of the school." At this time Mr. Kinsey became joint 
owner of the school with Mr. Brown, and assumed full re- 
sponsibility as a partner in the institution. The school was 
practically out of debt and Mr. Kinsey purchased part share, 
paying Mr. Brown in installments extending over four or 
five years. Before entering into the active work at Valparaiso, 



54 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

Mr. Kjnsey took a leave of absence for nearh* a 3'ear, during 
which time he traveled extensively, observing the educational 
status of several European nations and stud3'ing the sj'stems 
in several foreign universities. On the 2oth of March, 1881, 
]Mr. and Mrs. Kinsey returned to Valparaiso and took up 
their active duties in the institution. 



CHAPTER IV 
The Union of the Brown and Gold 

OLIVER PERRY KINSEY was born near Freeport, 
Ohio, in the year 1849. From both sides of the 
family he was descended from Quaker ancestors • who 
came to America with William. In pioneer days the 
Kinsey family moved into Eastern Ohio, where Reese 
Kinsey, Oliver Perry Kinsey's father, became a promi- 
nent anti-slavery leader in the agitation preceding the 
Civil War. When Mr. Kinsey was two years old his 
parents moved to Illinois, where his father died, and 
whence his mother returned to Freeport. At the age of 
seventeen he went to Harlem Springs Seminary, situated 
in a little town north of Freeport, taking a short training 
course of thirty weeks, upon the completion of which 
he taught rural schools in the vicinity for two years. 
Later he entered the National Normal University at Leb- 
anon where he became acquainted with Miss Baldwin 
and Mr. Brown, then students, and w^here he received 
his A. B. and A. M. degrees. He worked his way 
through the Lebanon institution, at first by doing janitor 
work, and later as a student instructor in commercial 
work. Upon graduation he became head of the De- 
partment of English Literature, a position which he 
held until he resigned to join Mr. Brown at Valparaiso. 
In all he was in the Lebanon University about thirteen 
years. In 1876 he was married to Miss Sarah J. Porter, 
formerly a student at Lebanon, at this time Principal of 
a high school in Des Moines, Iowa. After her marriage 
Mrs. Kinsey became a member of the faculty also. 

Before Mr. Kinsey reached Valparaiso he was scheduled 
to give a lecture on Rome at the Crescent Society, a lec- 
ture which proved so successful that Mr. Kinsey was 
asked to deliver the same at the Valparaiso Academy of 

55 




OLIVER P£RRY KIXSEY 



UNION OF BROWN AND XJOLD 57 

Music. Here is a reference to it in the College Notes; 
"On Professor Kinsey's return from Europe he was 
solicited by his fellow townsmen to give his lecture en- 
titled "A Walk Through Ancient Rome." He accepted 
the invitation, and his Lebanon friends greeted him with 
an audience of over one thousand. Now let his friends in 
Valparaiso give him like greeting, at the Academy of 
Music, January 20. "In the fall of 1881 Mr. Kinsey pur- 
chased the S. W. Smith property, which became his home 
for nearly forty years. A few years later he changed the 
plot of ground, then a garden, into the beautiful lawn 
which every student of Valparaiso remembers because of 
its unassuming simplicity so characteristic of the Kinseys. 

In the spring the ex-Lebanon students were entertained 
at the Kinsey home. From the National Normal Univer- 
sity at Lebanon had come much of the best blood of the 
Normal, and the common academic and educational origin 
created a sort of fraternity among those who had known 
each other there. Mr. Kinsey took charge of the Scientific 
Class and Mrs. Kinsey became head of the Department of 
Descriptive Geography. Mr. Kinsey was nominated Re- 
publican candidate for councilman from the first ward, and 
was elected unanimously, receiving every vote cast in the 
ward — both Republican and Democratic. On the Council 
he served with a magnanimous public spirit, always acting 
for the best interests of the community, upon one occasion 
moving an amendment to a motion to have the salary of 
the councilmen increased, an amendment which, if it had 
been successful, would have decreased his own salary as 
councilman, ire j)erformed valuable service for the city 
as a member of a committee sent to Bay City and Niles 
City, Michigan, and to Tiffin, Ohio, to investigate the 
water systems of those towns. Later he also served on 
the Council o£ Porter County. 

Mr. Kinsey took charge of the boarding and rooming 
business of the Normal and Mrs. Kinsey acted as Matron 
at East Hall, also attending the sick, and in every way 
possible improving the social and moral welfare of the 
girlg. Under the management of Mr. Kinsey the boarding 



58 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

problem at Valparaiso was solved. Before many years 
had elapsed he was ranked among the best food experts 
a;nd practical economists in the country. Previously to 
Mr. Kinsey's coming the Normal library was small and 
located in the bookstore on the second floor of the col- 
lege building. It was now moved into its present room, 
enlarged, and re-organized. Miss Luella Porter, Mrs. 
Kinsey's sister, was appointed librarian, and an effort was 
made to make the library as complete as possible. After- 
wards Mr. Kinsey rendered invaluable service to the city 
in organizing the public library, upon the board of which 
he served for many years. 

About the time Mr. Kinsey joined the Normal Mr. 
Zimmerman, editor of the Valparaiso Messenger, began 
to wage war on Prof. George W. Michael, who had for- 
merly established a penmanship school in Valparaiso in 
opposition to the penmanship department of the Norm.al, 
a movement that incurred the wrath of Editor Zimmer- 
man, the result of which was a long drawn out fight in 
the press, not only at home but also abroad, Professor 
Michael getting the worst of the battle arid the Normal 
receiving a great deal of publicity which tended to add 
to its already fast increasing popularity throughout the 
country. Professor Michael had printed a speech which 
he claimed had been delivered in Valparaiso against Mr. 
Brown and the Normal school, and also a circular, con- 
taining charges against both Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey. 
He sent these to a large number of papers asking the 
editors to comment upon them, but the matter was so 
obviously based upon malice and personal dislike that all 
the comments were unfavorable to Professor Michael, 
which resulted in the alumni, faculty, and townsfolk com- 
ing to the defense of the institution, doing the school far 
more good than harm. This is especially valuable infor- 
mation in view of the late publicity which Valparaiso 
University received during the malicious attacks made by 
Daniel Russel Hodgdon after he was forced to resign as 
President. 

In 1881. owing to the .rapid increase in attendance, 



UNION OF BROWN AND GOLD 59 

Professor Heritage moved into the building which stood 
on the present site of Music Hall, and which for many 
years served not only as his home, but also as the music 
hall. This building was the original college building of 
the Valparaiso Male and Female College, which had been 
erected to serve temporarily untih the Old College Build- 
ing could be built. In 1887 it was almost destroyed by a 
fire in which Professor Heritage's equipment and furniture 
were seriously damaged. Between the years 1882 and 
1884 Professor Heritage was the proprietor of Flint Hall, 
now Heritage, in which he offered board at an unusually 
low rate. During the year 1885 he edited and published 
the Musical Ideal, a little twenty-four-page monthly maga- 
zine devoted to the interests of music and literature. Be- 
sides his regular work in the department, teaching from 
eight to twelve hours a day, and continually making 
additions and improvements in the department, he taught 
classes in Hebron and Hobart, Indiana, conducted a 
choir in the M. E. Church, drilled an orchestra at the 
Normal, gave regular programs at the Star and Crescent 
societies, took part in several plays given under the di- ' 
rection of Professor Bogarte, gave many concerts in Val- 
paraiso and elsewhere, was prominently identified with 
several musical societies and attended a number of their 
conventions, and conducted many sight-seeing excursions 
to different places for the benefit of the students — all of 
which activities made him loved by both the citizens of 
the town and the students, and gave him a position of 
leadership in the community, and the reputation of a 
democratic, public-spirited man whose one ambition was 
to contribute as much as he could to the general welfare 
of all with whom he came in contact. 

It is no wonder that he said to his class in 188S, while 
conferring the diplomas upon the graduates of the Music 
Department: "The musician is not usually a man of 
wealth. The explanation for this fact is twofold. The 
musician is engaged day by day in matters far removed 
from monetary concerns. His soul is actuated by a desire 
to excel in his art, and in the effort to do this, he neces- 



60 STQRY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

sarily has little time to look after the practical things in 
life, the dollars and cents. The musician is always re- 
garded by the public at large as a general utility person- 
age whose services are at everybody's command, and 
whose compensation is seldom more than thanks, and 
sometimes not even that. While the banker charges in- 
terest for money loaned, and the grocer for provisions 
sold, and the lawyer for services rendered, yet the musi- 
cian is expected to work for nothing — to draw upon the 
capital which he has acquired through long and expensive 
study and preparation, and to receive no interest in 
return." 

In 1880 Prof. W. F, Strong, violinist, and Prof. Frank 
Conrad, pianist, became members of the Normal faculty, 
but neither of them remained long. Professor Strong 
left the institution in 1882 to pursue his studies in Cin- 
cinnati, and was succeeded by Prof. J. G. Pearson, w^ho 
taught violin, guitar, and organized a brass band; two 
years later he also withdrew. Miss Belle Anderson took 
the place of Professor Conrad, and Prof. Nelson W. 
Burritt, vocalist; Prof. Daniel E. Stagg, graduate of the 
class of 1880, and Prof. S. D. Talcott were among the 
others who were connected with the music faculty about 
this time. Professor Carver, who seemed prepared to 
speak with authority on all subjects of common knowl- 
edge, delivered an occasional lecture to the music students 
on the scientific explanations of many of the musical 
theories. In the year 1885 the Valparaiso school of music 
offered a regular two years' course in music, possessed 
six organs, twenty pianos, and other instrumental equip- 
ment, had an enrollment of nearly seventy, and a faculty 
of seven — an organization and equipment which placed the 
department in favorable competition with the best schools 
of its kind in the United States. 

During the first year Mr. Kinsey was in Valparaiso a 
telephone, a means of communication not in general use, 
was installed in the college office. Mr. Brown was as 
busy as ever making improvements. At a temperance 
meeting in the city he laid himself open to much unfav- 



UNION OF BROWN AND GOLD 61 

orable criticism in taking an emphatic stand for woman's 
suffrage, resembling his experience during the year 1874, 
when he declared himself opposed to the liquor interests, 
especially condemning the saloons, which he maintained 
were detrimental to the Normal. He was never afraid to 
express his opinions or to defend his convictions, no 
matter how unpopular his position might be. He stood 
for the improvement of the general welfare and the en- 
lightenment of the common man and woman, upon one 
occasion stating his intention of moving his school from 
Valparaiso if the city authorities did not prevent the sale 
of intoxicating drinks at the student picnic and pleasure 
grounds, a position heartily concurred in by Mr. Kinsey. 

Life among the students grew more interesting every 
term. Sager's with its boating, swimming, skating, and 
fishing was always a favorite resort for the "moss-backs." 
"Why," asks a student of the time, "is Sager's Pond so 
full of moss? Is it because between 75 and 300 moss-backs 
bathe, swim, dive, turn sommersaults, splash about, and 
kick at the toads there ever}-^ day? Moss 5 feet 6 inches 
high stands up now semi-occasionally on those banks." 
A few months later, when the winter was in its prime, 
this student says: "Sager's Pond has been the scene of 
much jollity during the past week. It is amusing to see 
the boys sit dowm suddenly and elevate their heels. Two 
or three boys, however, thought it was not so funny, for 
they broke through the ice; but they managed to get out 
safely." After telling us that hundreds of our sportively 
inclined young people spent all their spare time the previ- 
ous week engaging in this delightful exercise of skating, 
our chronicler laments the fact that "a good many spend 
far more than their spare time at the lake." A law 
student says a few days later, "What would Valparaiso 
and the Normal be without Sager's?" Baseball never lost 
its charm with the Normalites, and in the fall foot-ball 
became almost a disease, according to a writer in the 
early eighties. 

The Crescent, Star, and Philomathean continued to* 
interest the students; the Normal Congress did more 



62 



STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 



wrangling than usual; General Debate was the scene of 
many warm discussions; and the Normal Nominating 
Convention, after five weeks of heated argument and 
balloting, elected a President, the highest position of 
honor in the institution. Professor Boucher and other 
members of the faculty were compelled to guard these 
student organizations from breaking up into factions and 
making a farce of the whole affair. The educational value 
was continually held foremost in all the college activities, 
striking that happy mean whereby the students gained 
their most important experience while engaged in extra- 
curricula functions. In these afifairs none were more 
competent than Robert Judson Aley and George W. Nor- 




ris, the latter becoming the first President of the Clay- 
tonian Society, composed of members from Professor 
Bogarte's elocution class, at the same time taking part in 
the conventions and holding the position of President of 
the League of United Nine, a secret society around which 
hung considerable mystery. An attempt was made to 
establish a college paper called the Normal Argosy, but 
insufficient advertising having been obtained, the under- 
taking fell through with. 

The four years from 1882 to 1886 mark no unusual 
occurrences in the history of the Normal. In the school 
year 1883-1884, according to State Superintendent Hoi- 



UNION OF BROWN AND GOLD 63 

combe, formerly of the Normal faculty, there were 3,435 
students enrolled during the year. Taking into consider- 
ation the rapid changes in the student body, especially the 
spring and summer terms, the total number registered at 
any one time during this period probably did not exceed 
2,500. No change was made in tuition, but Mr. Kinsey 
succeeded in reducing board and room from $1.70 to $1.60 
in most of the halls, and in Heritage, which had been pur- 
chased by Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey, board and room 
was offered for $1.40 a week. Improvements were made 
in the dormitories, many suites now taking the place of 
the single rooms which had been general before this 
time. Mr. Kinsey made it possible to buy hard coal and 
wood considerably cheaper than before, and Mr. Brown 
made arrangements with the railways to carry students at 
reduced fare, thus decreasing the expenses of going to 
college in ways of which most educators would take no 
account. 

Several further attempts were made, both by students 
and faculty, to establish publications of various kinds at 
the Normal, but none of them proved very successful. 
There was too much push, too much hard work, and not 
enough leisure at the Normal for any one, either students 
or teachers, to do anything in the way of producing liter- 
ature, or even maintaining a current publication. The 
Star Repository, the Neotrophean Beacon, and the Nor- 
mal Cosmopolitan were short-lived weeklies established by 
the students at different periods, and the Musical Ideal, 
already mentioned, and the Hoosier Naturalist, under the 
management of Prof. R. B. Trouslot and A. C. Jones, were 
faculty publications which had but brief prosperity. The 
Union and Cosmopolitan literary societies came into ex- 
istence, the latter taking the place of the Philomathean, 
which- had been dissolved owing to the unfair competition 
growing out of the exclusive right of the Star and the 
Crescent to hold meetings on Friday and Saturday 
evenings. 

John E. Roessler of Shelbyyille, Illinois, came to Val- 
paraiso in the fall of 1879. After four terms in the institu- 



64 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

tion, he withdrew, not re-entering until the summer of 
1882, when the writer of the College Notes for the month 
of June reported that "John Roessler, one of the Normal's 
oldest avid best friends, has returned/' two months later 
announcing he had been elected President of the Crescent 
Literary Society, in those days no small honor. "John 
Roessler of the Classic Class i& studying bookkeeping,' 
says the Normal chronicler in the spring of 1884, adding 
that ''The first report of the Classics in political economy, 
under Mr. Carver, was listened to yesterday. It was given 
by John Roessler and occupied the entire hour without 
being completed. Mr. Roessler will finish the report 
today, after which Professor Carver will have a class 
discussion." In July Mr. Roessler became a member of 
the Union Male Quartette. 

The college journalist not only sang the praises of the 
popular John Roessler but also has his occasional fling at 
his fellow^-student, making him slightly ridiculous before 
the public without going to the extreme of oftending. "The 
latest freak in baseball," he says in the summer of 1884, 
"is the challenging of the Classics by the Scientihcs. The 
document was made public yesterday in chapel, Sind we 
hope the challenge will be accepted, as it will prove a 
'taking card'; nothing could be more pleasing than to see 
John Roessler making it to first on a foul, while Perry 
would use his logic and influence with the umpire to make 
it square." But the boys were disappointed, for John 
Roessler did not play, though Perry made two runs for 
the Classics. Mr. Roessler fell in love with one of the 
Crescent girls, Miss Anna Harbor, then secretary of the 
society, and the reporter slyly inserted the following in 
the minutes of the meeting: "John Roessler acted as 
Crescent secretary last Saturday, and seemed to perfectly 
understand the business. It is a case of two hearts beat 
as one.' " 

This same year the eloquent A. A. Jones, now United 
States Senator from New Mexico, was elected President 
of the Crescent Society, and John Roessler was given 
the distinction of delivering the annual anniversary ad- 



UNION OF BROWN AND GOLD 65 

dress, then the greatest honor conferred upon any student 
except the presidency of the Normal Nominating Conven- 
tion, this year held by I. W. Howerth. He later held 
nearly every office in the society and took nearly every 
conceivable part in the entertainments, being referred to 
in the College Notes as "one of our solid Classics," and 
his name appearing in a local paper along with others: 
"A pleasing feature of the Crescent last night was the 
excellent music by Grace and Hattie Herr, Genie Van 
Loom, and John Roessler." He was now professor of 
German, a subject which, with mathematics, he has taught 
ever since. In the fall of 1885 he was married to Miss 
Harbor. 

I-n the fall of 1885 Mr. Brown was married to Miss 
Neva Axe, who had for several years been his secretary 
in the college office. This is the report of a meeting 
of the student body in chapel just before Mr. Brown left 
for a vacation. "The resolutions were unanimously passed 
and with much feeling and enthusiasm. When Mr. Brown 
made his reply and reached that point where he said, *I 
shall not be gone long, nor be very far away. You will 
hear from me often. In the morning when I wake the 
first thing I shall think of will be this school, and it will 
be my last thought at night. I will pray God every day 
that your lives all may be a success. I now leave you in 
good hands, in the hands of those who have always been 
true to me and I know they always do all they can for 
your welfare;' every eye looked with earnest silence on 
that great teacher, and each realized as never before his 
silent power, and how dear to him was this school. At 
the close one grand burst of applause broke the silence." 



CHAPTER V 

V ALP A R A I SO U N 1\EK S IT Y 

WE have now arrived at the point in this history where 
to continue in the particular and detailed manner as 
has been done in the previous chapters would involve so 
great a mass of detailed facts and incidents, so similar in 
their nature, and so monotonous in their tone, that the 
entire account would be marred by the unessential, thus 
defeating the purpose and destroying the effect of these 
minute relations. The purpose of this detail, in many 
cases regarding matters seemingly unimportant, was to 
give the reader a clear understanding in respect to the 
humble beginning and unusual development and progress 
of Valparaiso; and to convey, if that is possible, some- 
thing of the simple and unselfish virtue and untiring public 
spirit of Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey, something of the 
ties which held together the faculty in a common purpose 
and in pursuit of the same lofty attainments, and — the 
most difficult of all — something of the spirit and tradi- 
tions which permeated the administration, the faculty, the 
alumni, and the students — a spirit which reverenced the 
traditional policies and principles of the past, looked back 
with pride and pleasure upon the many hardships under- 
gone, and loved, without envy or ambition, the leadership 
of those who led for the general good, creating the per- 
sonality, the soul, and the power of Valparaiso University. 
In this chapter I shall briefly relate the principal occur- 
rences from the end of the period just passed to the year 
1912, giving only such matters as have a bearing upon 
the general course of the institution, wherever possible 
inserting the causes of the changes, and attempting to 
record some of the inspirational and aspirational aspects 
of the remarkable progress which placed Valparaiso Uni- 

66 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 67 

versity among the first institutions of learning, both in 
number of students enrolled annually and in efficiency of 
instruction given. No effort will be made to follow all 
the men and women who played a part, large or small, 
in building up the university; many of the social and 
educational organizations which contributed so much to 
the life and interest of the school can receive little 
more than passing notice; and many incidents, extremely 
interesting but having no influence upon the historical 
development of the institution, must be omitted, in order 
to devote a larger portion of time and space to matters 
relatively more essential. 

As previously mentioned, one of the chief causes of 
Mr. Brown's success lay in his wise selection of men and 
women to serve on the Valparaiso faculty. An abler 
group of teachers, more loyal and devoted to the prin- 
ciples of the institution of which they were a part, could 
not have been found in any other school in the country. 
"To become a member of the Normal faculty," Mr. Brown 
used to say, '"a teacher must be after Valparaiso's own 
heart." The growth of the faculty was commensurate 
with that of the student body. In 1893 the faculty num- 
bered 41; in 1897, o2; in 1907, 165; and by 1912, the end 
of this period, the number had reached about 220. These 
figures include all the teachers in the University, heads 
of departments, professors, associate professors, assistants 
and instructors, many of whom were senior students. 

One of the unique features of Valparaiso University 
was the steady and harmonious evolution of its depart- 
ments. Beginning with three departments, others were 
supplied in accordance with the demands of the rapidly 
increasing student body and the progressive changes and 
additions constantly taking place in the collegiate world, 
until all the requisites of a university were present, and 
the institution was, both in extent of courses offered and 
quality of instruction given, among the best colleges in 
the United States. Even in equipment, library accommo- 
dations, laboratory facilities, and other material advan- 
tages, the Northern Indiana Normal School ranked high. 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 69 

But later, upon the coming of state universities as factors 
in the educational field, with their appropriations from 
the legislature; upon the advent of large endowments for 
a number of schools, furnishing them with spacious halls, 
costly laboratories, and exhaustive libraries; and finally, 
upon the birth of the present-day rivalry and competition 
in the inter-collegiate world, placing institutions of learn- 
ing, in a measure, in the position of units in a keen con- 
test for the honor of possessing the most beautiful 
campus, the largest library, and the greatest number of 
students in attendance, emphasizing the material and 
neglecting the spiritual, in short, the conversion of col- 
leges into a sort of educational show-case — it was then 
that Valparaiso fell from the race, content to adhere to 
the fundamental principles of its origin, its one excuse 
for existing, to offer the common man and woman the 
opportunity of securing a thorough practical education in 
as short a time, and with as little expense, as possible. 

As has already been stated, during the first years of 
the school, the departments were not definitely separated, 
the lines of demarcation between the different functions 
of the institution were hardly perceptible, and no par- 
ticular division of labor existed on the part of the faculty, 
a condition arising inevitably from the circumstances 
under which the school was founded. This tendency 
towards the obliteration of departmental lines was inten- 
tional and is still felt in Valparaiso University; it was 
inherent in the principles of democratic, practical educa- 
tion upon which Mr. Brown and his associates based their 
arguments for the need of a departure from the time- 
honored systems then prevalent in most of the colleges of 
America. A student should, according to Mr. Brown's 
theory, study those subjects for which he had a natural 
inclination, and he should study them at the most agree- 
able time and in the order which most appeals to him. 
Education should be practical and its method of instruc- 
tion natural. 

The word practical was not used in the sense now so 
frequently used by educators; according to the Normal 



70 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

teachers, practical education did not necessarily mean a 
highlj- technical training, especiallj- in some mechanical 
trade or profession, but a thorough general knowledge, 
the development of talent and capacitj'. in sufficient com- 
mand to be employed in any occupation upon any occa- 
sion, making the possessor of such knowledge and power 
a more desirable citizen and a more useful member of 
society. Mr. Brown himself denned education as the 
accumulation of physical, mental, and moral powers, and 
Mr, Kinsey used to say that we acquire knowledge that 
we may have life and have it more abundantly. Of the 
method of instruction, Mr. Brown said: "We claim it to 
be the first principle of a sound educational philosophy, 
that the powers of the mind should be cultivated in the 
most natural order: and by natural order we understand 
the order in which they would naturally unfold themselves 
were they subjected to no artificial control. We follow 
this order because nature will the more willingly follow 
lis. It will not do to war against nature, for in every 
battle we must surely be defeated." Every teacher in the 
Normal was expected to be constantly ready to teach 
any subject which he had p^e^-^ously studied. This was 
necessarv- in order to render practical, the principle of dis- 
cretion in the selection of studies, for whenever a group 
of students wanted a certain subject, even if that particu- 
lar course had never been offered in the school before. 
a teacher was prompt^' procured and a class formed. The 
element of 5er\-ice played a considerable part in the prin- 
ciples of the institution. 

Naturally the Normal department, though consisting 
of little more than a class specialh- for teachers, in the 
early days of the school was verj- important. This class 
was at first taught by Professor Brown himself, but was 
later taken and for mauA- years retained by Miss Baldwin. 
Changes in requirements for teachers, passing of various 
state statutes, and the increasing demands of the student 
body, made it necessary to add to the Normal course such 
subjects as pyschology and pedagogy-, not before taught 
in the course. Finally, in 18rHi, a regular department of 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 71 

education was organized, conforming in all its require- 
ments and courses with recognized schools of education. 
This department was in charge of Prof. Sanford Bell, who 
was succeeded in 1898 by Prof. George W. Neet, a recog- 
nized educator and able instructor. Under his leader- 
ship the Department of Education soon became not only 
one of the most important departments in the institution 
but also one of the best schools of education in the 
country. Mr. Neet is known among teachers and educa- 
tors throughout the United States, and thousands of 
public school teachers have received instruction under him. 
In 1909 he was joined by Prof. William F. Ellis. 

After the resignation of Professor Heritage in 1894, 
the Normal secured the services of Professor Gottschalk 
for a brief period. In 1895 Prof. W. W. Hinshaw, who 
had studied at the Normal under Professor Heritage, 
afterwards studying under many of the ablest masters in 
America and Europe, became head of the voice depart- 
ment and director of the school of music. He withdrew in 
1899 and was followed by Prof. Harold Butler, who had 
studied law and music at Valparaiso, and who remained 
at the head of the department for about five years. Among 
the other teachers of voice previous to 1912, were 
Prof. William Frederick Gaskins, Prof. Alfred Bergen, 
Prof. George Brewster, Miss Helen Axe-Brown, Prof. 
P. A. Gant, and finally Prof. Orlee Weaver, who came to 
Valparaiso to join the faculty in 1910. Jennie Thatcher 
Beach, Grace Groth, and Mrs. Harriet Bruce-Roe were 
among the principal teachers of both piano and voice. 

Soon after Professor Heritage left Valparaiso, while 
Prof. Henri Ruifrok was director of the department, 
Edward E. Chafifee, professor of piano, came to Val- 
paraiso. Other teachers of piano were Prof. Frederick 
H. Clark, who retired in 1905, Prof. Frederick Nelson, 
Mabel Spooner-Schuldt, and Gertrude Horn. Professor 
Chafifee was the first to organize the department into a 
recognized department of music, and later, after the with- 
drawal of Professor Butler, became head of the depart- 
ment. Mrs. Roessler, head of the guitar, banjo, and man- 



72 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

dolin department, joined the faculty in 1886. In 1893 
Prof. August Wolf succeeded Miss Maggie White as 
teacher of violin. Prof. Fritz Ingersoll joined the faculty 
in 1911. The new music building was completed in the 
year 19<J6. Many new instruments were added and the 
department was larger and better equipped, both in ma- 
terial instruments and in spirit, than it had ever been 
before. 

Upon the resignation of Professor Boucher in 1883, 
Mr. Kinsey took charge of the commercial department, 
and Charles W. Benton, who came from Ohio to Valpa- 
raiso as a student in 1881, became instructor in the 
Actual Business course. Under the leadership of Pro- 
fessor Benton, who a few terms later was made head of 
the commercial school, the department grew rapidly both 
in attendance and efficiency, and was recognized every- 
where by business men for its thorough practical training. 
Mr. Benton became a successful business man himself, an 
advantage which undoubtedly contributed to the practical 
aspect of the commercial training offered in the depart- 
ment. At this time all the correspondence of the Normal 
was carried on in long-hand. The typewriter had not yet 
assumed its present important and indispensable place in 
business, and Mr. Brown was of the opinion that the 
class of students with which he was dealing, the greater, 
part of which were inexperienced country boys and girls, 
might look upon typewritten letters as smacking of the 
conventional in business, removing that impression of 
home which Mr. Brown was so desirous of making, and 
giving the reader the cold and business-like feeling that 
he was no more than a circular letter customer. The 
result was a slow development of work in phonography 
and typewriting, no less true of Valparaiso than other 
business colleges, and penmanship was given as a drill 
in ever}- course as one of the requisites of college training, 
regardless of ±he goal of the student. The successive 
teachers of penmanship were Profs. M. E. Bogarte, C. W. 
Boucher. A. A. Southworth, C. X. Crandle, E. K. Isaacs, 
and tinallv W. A. HoflFman, who joined the facultv in 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 73 

1899 and who is, as thousands of students throughout the 
world will testify, one of the best penmen to be found 
anywhere. 

Phonography was taught from the beginning of the 
school, but it won little recognition during the first 
decade. In about 1880 Professor Kimmel conducted 
classes in short-hand and owned several typewriters, 
teaching both subjects in connection with the Normal. 
Mr. Kimmel resigned in 1883 and was succeeded by S. P. 
Corboy, who had studied at Lebanon under both Mr. 
and Mrs. Kinsey, and who had come to Valparaiso as a 
student in 1882. About this time several states passed 
laws providing that a court reporter should be employed 
in each district, a circumstance which caused many stu- 
dents to enter com,mercial colleges to study short-hand, 
and also gave the department a greater importance than it 
could have otherwise attained. Mr. Corboy's sister, Miss 
Catherine Corboy, entered the Normal a few years later 
as a student, later becoming instructor in the commercial 
department. Mr. Corboy added typewriters to the de- 
partment, one or two at a time, and finally succeeded in 
getting Mr. Brown to use machines in the college cor- 
respondence. The success of the department was now 
assured and it increased in equipment and attendance, 
until it became one of the most important branches of 
the commercial school. 

The department of telegraphy continued under the 
management of George A. Dodge until 1882, when he sold 
his interests in the school to George L, Durand, a prac- 
tical and competent instructor, who a few years later 
transferred his share in the department to Mr. Clarkson, 
operator at the Grand Trunk railway station. The teleg- 
raphy department, like the law and phonographic depart- 
ments, received the tuition from the students directly and 
paid the Normal a certain amount for advertising and 
other expenses. Mr. Clarkson discontinued the school, 
but it was revived by Mr. West, operator at the Penn- 
sylvania station. This attempt met with little success and 
the department was again discontinued. In March, 1891, 



74 STORY OF J'ALPARAISO I'XIVERSITV 

George M. Dodge, son of George A. Dodge, re-established 
the department of telegraphy, still retaining the former 
relation with the Normal. Owing to a disagreement in 
respect to the department, in November, 1894, Mr. Dodge 
seceded from the Northern Indiana Normal School and 
established the Dodge's Institute of Telegraphy as an 
independent and separate institution. In 19<X) the front 
part of the Wire building was built and in 19<M the rear 
part of the same building was added. The Wireless 
building, together with the boarding hall, was erected in 
1910. Dodge's Telegraph. Railway Accounting and Radio 
Institute is now one of the best equipped, most practical 
and most ably managed institutions of its kind in the 
world. Thousands of men and women have profited by 
Mr. Dodge's wide, practical experience and his untiring 
efforts to render satisfactory serA'ice to his students. 

Engineering was announced as one of the courses to be 
offered in the first year of the Normal. Professor Bogarte 
taught higher mathematics and surveying, which at that 
time constituted the engineering course. No degree was 
given in engineering, and most of the students taking the 
work were enrolled in the regular normal work. There 
was little change in this course given by Professor 
Bogarte until 1909. when Prof. R. C. Yeoman joined Mr. 
Bogarte in the department, and a regular course in Civil 
Engineering was established. The Manual Training de- 
partment was first introduced in 1903 under the manage- 
ment of Prof. H. M. Appleman. who was succeeded in 
L908 by Prof. Hom.er Black. 

The present Department of Expression and Public 
Speaking is an outgrowth of Professor Bogarte's class in 
Elocution and Oratory. For many years this class was 
one of the most important branches in the college. It 
played a large part in the commencement exercises, of- 
fered many excellent dramatic shows, and had among its 
members some of the ablest men and women of the 
Normal. When the demand for this kind of work became 
so great that it was necessary to organize a department. 
Professor Bogarte was compelled to give up either the 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 75 

elocution or higher mathematics, and he decided to give 
up the elocution and continue in the higher mathematics 
and the engineering course. Miss Florence Higgins took 
charge of the regular department of public speaking 
which was now organized. She was succeeded in about 
1907 by Archibald Reddie, who in turn was succeeded by 
Nathaniel Rieed in 1911. The department of Fine Arts, 
which was organized early in the history of the school, 
flourished under the successive direction of Miss Myra 
Miller, Miss Phenia Reilly, Mr. and Mrs. A. A. South- 
worth, Miss Mae Appleman, Felix Ecblad, L. H. Reveal, 
Mr. Ferguson, S. B. Wright, Miss Mitchell, Miss Mae 
Ball, and finally Mrs. Mollie Sparks, who joined the 
faculty as head of the department of Fine Arts in 1898. 
The law school is a good example of the gradual 
growth of the departments. When the law department 
was established in 1879 by Col. Mark DeMotte, only a 
few students enrolled, and even as late as 1887 there were 
only 17 seniors; but in 1896 the number of graduates was 
50; in 1903, 57; and in 1911, 61. The south addition of the 
west wing of the Old College Building, now a part of 
the library, was the first law building. In 1886 Professor 
Felix Ecblad, head of the department of Fine Arts, built 
the present law building for a private dwelling house. 
This building later fell into the possession of Col. Mark 
DeMotte by whom it was converted into the law depart- 
ment. From the beginning Judge Hiram Gillette was 
one of the principal instructors in the law department, 
and with due respect to all the able men who have served 
on the faculty of the school of law. Judge Gillette was 
probably the best teacher of them all. He died in 1904 
and was succeeded by his son, John H, Gillette, who 
served on the Supreme Bench of the state of Indiana, and 
for many years was on the Porter-Lake County Bench. 
Prof. A. L. Jones, who became associated with the 
faculty early in the history of the school, died in 1902. 
In 1904 Prof. Stuart McKibben joined the faculty, but he 
did not remain long. E. D. Crumpacker, William Dow- 
dell, William Daly, and other prominent attorneys of 



76 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

Valparaiso contributed a great deal to the Valparaiso 
school of law. 

Col. Mark L. DeMotte, dean of the law department 
for twenty-eight years, died in 1908. A short time before 
his death one of his students said of him: "Ever since 
the foundation of our law school, there has been a figure 
dear to the hearts of ever}^ law student; yea, to everyone 
with whom he comes in contact; a man who steals into 
the heart unaware; in whose presence one forgets the 
rough places in life. This is the scholar, soldier, and 
statesman. Col. Mark L. DeMotte, our beloved dean. A 
man who has taken life at its flood-tide; who has drunk 
deep of the Fountain of Eternal Youth. The frosts of 
time have whitened his locks, but in his heart the joyous 
springtime reigns supreme. We love him." Soon after 
he had established the law school Mr. DeMotte was 
elected to Congress for one term, which' necessitated his 
being away from Valparaiso for a time. But for the most 
part he remained with the department from the time it 
was founded until his death. In 1907 Milo Jesse Bowman, 
a fine scholar and able teacher, became dean of the de- 
partment. Though the school had been practical and 
efficient under the former management, it was not until 
Professor Bowman became dean that it was fully recog- 
nized as a standard law school, and became a department 
of the university in the full sense of the word. Previously 
the share or per cent system had existed between the 
law school and the university, an arrangement which was 
now done away with. Mr. Bowman introduced the case 
book system of instruction, following the example of 
recognized law schools, lengthened and improved the 
courses, devoting a longer time to the subjects previously 
offered and adding others to complete the full course as 
given in other law schools of high standing, enlarged the 
library and in many other ways made improvements which 
place the school upon an equal footing with the best law 
schools in the United States. John Bowman, undoubtedly 
one of the ablest men from the department, graduated 
in the class of 1910 and became a member of the faculty. 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 77 

In 1892 Prof. H. M. Evans, who had succeeded Dr. 
W. A. Yohn as teacher of the natural sciences in 1886, 
organized a class in Pharmacy, from which the following 
year a regular department of Pharmacy was established 
under the management of Prof. A. E. Hiss, who patterned 
the department, with a few alterations and additions, after 
the Chicago School of Pharmacy, an in'stitution in which 
he had formerly been chief instructor. Prof. J. N. Roe, 
a graduate of the Normal, became head of the department 
of Pharmacy a short time after it was established and 
remained in this position until 1912. At the first com- 
mencement of the Pharmacy class, held in the Audi- 
torium, Professor Brown, in conferring the degrees, said: 
"If I were starting out as you are now, I would stand at 
the head of my profession. I would know all about 
pharmacy, and nobody should be a better pharmacist than 
myself. There is only one proper place to occupy in a 
profession, and that is at the head." George D. Timmons 
came to Valparaiso in 1895, and after spending a year in 
the Commercial and other departments, entered the 
Pharmacy class, graduating with the class of 1897. After 
teaching school in the vicinity, he became assistant pro- 
fessor of the Pharmacy and Chemistry departments. In 
1909 he was made head of the Chemistry department and 
in 1912 he succeeded Professor Roe in the Pharmacy work. 

One of the principal purposes of the institution was 
to provide educational opportunities for those barred by 
artificial and arbitrary entrance requirements. Through- 
out the United States are thousands of young men and 
women who are desirous of obtaining higher educational 
training, but who, for reasons almost as numerous and 
varied as the number of people thus situated, have been pre- 
vented from attending high school. To attend the public 
high schools in their respective communities would neces- 
sitate their mingling with students much younger than 
themselves, among whom they would feel out of place and 
even humiliated at times. Many of them have, by hard 
application at home or by practical experience, prepared 
themselves for certain college courses in which they are 



78 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

interested. In Valparaiso the source of preparation was 
non-essential. If the student could successfully carry on 
the work, regardless of the number of years he had spent 
in school or the number of credits he had obtained, he 
was permitted to enroll in any department he wished, and 
received, provided he did the required work, a degree or 
diploma in the course. Except those who attended school 
merely to have a good time or to gain family prestige, 
there was a place in Valparaiso for everybody who truly 
wished to learn. Its doors of opportunity stood wide open 
to all who looked upon college days as a conscientious 
preparation for the serious work of life. 

A preparatory department was maintained to accom- 
modate those not prepared for college. This department 
was established almost at the beginning of the institution 
and was considered as the feeding mill of the other depart- 
ments. In this department the student was protected 
from the humiliation usually associated with the students 
of the inferior grades mingling with those of the higher, 
and the student studying the common branches received 
the same consideration, had the same social privileges, 
and was respected for his merits, just the same as the 
student in the most advanced courses of the professional 
schools. In 1905 Prof. J. M. Lien established the ele- 
mentary department, which has done good work among 
foreign students who have not learned the English 
Language, and many American men and women, who, for 
some cause, did not receive the opportunity to attend the 
grades. Later Mrs. Cora Benham joined the faculty of 
this department. 

The Scientific and Classic classes, originally divisions 
of the collegiate department, developed into two separate 
departments, the Scientific Department, conferring the 
degTee of Bachelor of Science, and the Department of 
Liberal Arts, conferring the degree of Bachelor of Arts. 
From courses of one year each they were later enlarged 
in courses and increased in time until they corresponded 
to the departments of science and of liberal arts in stand- 
ard colleges everywhere. Among the principal teachers 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 79 

ill these departments were A. A. Williams, Mason L. 
VVeems, John H. Cload, Lee F. Bennett, B. F. Williams, 
Miss Katherine Carver, Jolm E. Roessler, and Calvin S. 
Hoover. Prof. A. A. Williams became associated with the 
institution both ^s instructor and student in 1890, for 
tive years teaching in the commercial department. In 
1895 Mr. Williams became President and Owner of the 
Southern Iowa Normal Scientific Institute at Bloomfield. 
He and Mrs. Williams returned to Valparaiso in 1902 and 
have been on the faculty ever since. Mr. Weems was a 
student from 1881 to 1886 when he withdrew from the 
Normal to take a teaching position. In 1896 he took 
another course in Valparaiso and remained as a regular 
member of the faculty. During his early life in Valparaiso 
Mr. Weems worked his way through school by ringing 
the bell and carrying the mail. Professors B. F. Williams, 
John H. Cloud, Lee F. Bennett, and Miss Katherine 
Carver all were students in the early nineties, afterwards 
studying in other institutions, and returning to Valparaiso 
to become members of the university faculty. Prof. Cal- 
vin S. Hoover, who had pursued his studies in different 
institutions of learning probably further than any other 
member of the faculty, joined the faculty in 1900 as pro- 
fessor of history, a position which he still holds. 

Miss McAlilly graduated with her sister, Anna Mc- 
Alilly, in the class of 1876, and a few years later joined 
the faculty. Professor E, W. Agar entered the Normal 
as a student in 1886, and after withdrawing for a number 
of years returned and graduated in the department of 
law, upon graduation becoming a member of the faculty 
in the teachers' department. Professor Roessler taught 
German throughout this period. He was assisted by 
Professor Luther A. Pfiueger, Miss Elizabeth Rechenberg, 
and others, the German faculty at one time consisting of 
several members, Spanish was added in 1903, with Prof. 
J. A. Bray as instructor. The Medical School became a 
part of the university in 1901 and the college of dentistry 
a few years later. In 1906 the institution, the name of 
which in 1900 had been changed to Valparaiso College, 



so 



STORY OF VALPARAISO UXH'ERSITY 



was incorporated as Valparaiso University. Other depart- 
ments were later established, such as the department of 
kindergarten under Mrs. Mary Hemestock, and the depart- 
ment of primary methods under Miss Ida Haines. The 
school now ranked both in numbers and in variety of 
courses offered with the largest and best institutions of 
learning. 

Neither Mr. Brown or Mr. Kinsey took from the in- 
come of the school more than was necessary to meet the 
unpretentious demands of the quiet, frugal, and simple 
life which they both lived. Every dollar in excess of this 
amount, every cent of surplus, was judiciously applied to 
the liquidation of indebtedness, the improvement of 
equipment, the acquisition of land, the employment of 
more teachers, and the general enlargement and improve- 




LEMBKE HALL 



ment of the educational departments. In the palmiest 
days of the school, when the institution was valued at a 
great sum as a business plant, and when Mr. Brown and 
Mr. Kinsey were considered men of great wealth by virtue 
of their interests in the University, they never regarded 
themselves as more than trustees of the people, mere 
managers of a public institution, which they intended ulti- 
mately to transfer to a self-perpetuating board of trustees, 
leaving it as an endowment to the future generations of 
young men and young women seeking the kind of oppor- 
tunity which Valparaiso University alone could oflfer. 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 81 

Speaking of the arrangements to bequeath the property 
to the people upon the death of Mr. Brown and Mr. 
Kinsey, George Kennan, writing in McClure's Magazine in 
1908, after visiting Valparaiso a few days, said: "It will 
be as noble a monument as two men could have, because 
it will represent half a century or more of fruitful thought, 
patient labor, and unselfish devotion." 

The Auditorium, consisting of five class rooms and a 
chapel hall, was completed in 1892, being dedicated in 
May of that year in the presence of nearly two "thousand 
students, townspeople, and alumni. At the same time the 
building now known as Bogarte'a Bookstore was erected 
by B. F. Perrine, who was succeeded in the book business 
by Professor Bogarte in 1894. The following year the 
Wade Brothers and Mr. J. A. Wise, then employed in the 
establishment, purchased the bindery and printing press. 
Science Hall was built in 1900 and the Medical Buildings 
along with Music Hall, in 1906. Lembke Hall, named after 
the contractors, and Altruria, built by a stock company 
still in possession, were erected before 1912. Mound and 
Columbia, built by Professor Benton of the Commercial 
Department, Eise, erected by Daniel Eise in 1886 while 
a student in the Normal, Vineyard, so called because its 
site had formerly been a vineyard, Corboy, built by Prof. 
S. P. Corboy, Union, Spindler, "71", Monadnock, Allen- 
dorf, and Arcadia, are among the many boarding and 
rooming halls, built during this period and owned and 
operated by private enterprise. The local Y. M. C. A. 
purchased its present building in 1903, and the following 
year it raised money by subscription to build the adjoin- 
ing gymnasium. 

In the fall of 1893 happened an affair which will long 
be remembered in the annals of Valparaiso history. While 
Mr. Brown was in Ohio and Mr. Kinsey was temporarily 
out of the office, two men, one of them a student, the 
other his brother, attempted to rob the university office. 
Miss Corboy and her assistant. Miss Emma Jones, were 
in the office alone, and Miss Jones was just leaving to go 
to her room when she was confronted by a masked man 



82 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

who pointed a revolver at her and bade her hold up her 
hands. Thinking it a joke played by some of her friends, 
Miss Jones knocked the gun from his hand, whereupon he 
im_niediately picked it ap and hred. Miss T'^'ues screamed 
and the masked man, now joined by his brother, rushed 
into the office and fired again, ordering Mr. Arnold, the 
mail carrier, who had come in meanwhile, to shut up and 
get out of the way. But Mr, Arnold gave'* the fire alarm, 
which within a few minutes brought hundreds of students 
to the college ofifice. The outlaws, attempting to escape 
bj^ flight, ran down the Pennsylvania railway track, unable 
to use bicycles which they had provided. They were over- 
taken about a mile east of the college, where in a scrim- 
mage in which several shots were exchanged, one of the 
robbers was killed by a man from Michigan City, who 
happened to be selling peaches on the hill that day, and 
who had borrowed a rifle from a farmer in the pursuit. 
The other boy, who later received a three-3'ears' sentence 
in the penitentiary, surrendered after having been 
wounded in the hand. 

The attendance of Valparaiso University increased at 
about the same rate throughout this entire period. In 
1901 the annual enrollment was more than 4,000; by 1907 
it had reached 5,141; and in 1911, 5,523. No reliable fig- 
ures are obtainable for the entire number of students 
registered during the year 1912. in which the annual 
attendance probably reached its highest point, but there 
are good reasons to believe that it approximated 6,000. 
The student body was constantly changing, especially dur- 
ing the spring and summer terms, when a great many 
withdrew to work through the summer months, returning 
again in the fall, the consequence of which was that the 
total annual attendance was far greater than the actual 
attendance at any one time. The attendance of Harvard, 
the only institution larger than Valparaiso, was little 
greater than Valparaiso. This was before the era of large 
universities, and many of the institutions now noted for 
their large attendance were then much smaller than Val- 
paraiso, at that time the second largest university in the 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 83 

United States. In the year 1899 more than 800 students 
were registered from the state of Indiana; ten years later 
the proportion of students from the middle western states 
was much less, and the university had become a school of 
national repute, having students from every state in the 
Union and nearly every nation in the world. 

Most of the attempts during this period to establish 
college publications were unsuccessful. In 1886 Professor 
Trouslot and Mr. Knott issued a little quarterly entitled 
the People's Paper. The next important effort to publish 
a paper was in 1891 when Professor Bogarte published the 
Student, which received contributions from practically all 
the faculty, and of which Professor Carver was for a 
time literary editor. Two years later it was purchased by 
Mr. E. L. Loomis and B. F. Perrine, who changed it from 
a monthly literary magazine to a weekly college pa.per, 
devoted purely to the interests of the school. The College 
Current, somewhat similar to the Student, was established 
by the faculty in 1899 and purchased later by Prof. J. N. 
Roe of the Pharmacy Department. For a number of 
years the school was without any kind of a publication, 
when in 1909 the Illinois Society, composed of all students 
from the state of Illinois, began to publish the Illinois 
Gazette, which after a few i,ssues as a mere society paper, 
was changed to the Students' Gazette, devoted to the in- 
terests of the whole school rather than the Illinois So- 
ciety. But it too was short-lived. The University Record, 
first published in 1911, containing the principal events in 
the history of the graduating class each year, is still 
issued annually by the senior class. The Engineering De- 
partment for a number of years published a quarterly, to 
which such members of the faculty as Professor Bogarte, 
Professor Yeoman. Prof. Lee Bennett, and others inter- 
ested in science and mathematics, were frequent con- 
tributors. 

The Star, Crescent, and other literary societies, which 
flourished for nearly forty years, were among the chief edu- 
cational factors of the school, providing a practical training 
course in addition to the regular class work, at the same 



84 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

time retaining enough of the entertaining element to hold 
the interest of the entire student body. Prohibition of frater- 
nities and sororities, recognition and encouragement of the 
university authorities and the faculty, and the ambitious type 
of students prevalent in Valparaiso, were the principal causes 
of the remarkable success of these literary societies. They 
were succeeded as the numbers increased and the class of 
students became rpore self-satisfied, by state, rehgious, 
national, sectional, and class societies and organizations, promi- 
nent among which were the Scientific, Music, Menorah, 
Catholic, Spanish, German, International, Indiana, Illinois, 
Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Eastern, Western, Southern, 
Rocky Mountain, and many others, all of which made such 
division among the students, so decentralizing their interests 
that the Star and Crescent, which had previously been given 
the preference, were compelled to take a secondary position 
in the student activities, the consequence of which was their 
ultimate extinction. 

From the very beginning Mr. Brown and ]Mr. Kinsey ea- 
deavored to limit the necessary expenses of a student to a 
sum that would not overstrain the financial resources of even 
a poor family. They realized that democracy in schools, 
which really means equal opportunity for the rich and poor, 
can best be brought about by serving good food at a very 
low price. It fell to the energy, intelligence, and business 
capacity of Mr. Kinsey to work out a living scheme which 
would support this principle. By purchasing raw materials 
in large quantities directl}^ from the producer whenever pos- 
sible, by the elimination of all unnecessary waste and the 
utilization of by-products, by co-operation with the students 
and the producers, by establishing kitchens and dining-rooms 
under the management of the institution, by long and careful 
study and unremitting personal attention, and by judicious 
and rigid application of business methods in the practice of 
common-sense economy, Mr. Kinsey succeeded in reducing 
the cost of living to such a degree of perfection that his 
practical scheme of cheap living became the wonder of 
economists the country over. The story of Mr. Kinsey and 
his solution for the living problem in school is largely the 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 85 

story of the remarkable achievement of Valparaiso University. 

Tuition in 1893 was still $8; in 1897 it was increased to 
$10 ; a few years later to $15, and in 1910 it was raised to 
$18 for a term of ten weeks. In 1891 Mr. Kinsey offered 
both board and room to the student, when paid for by the 
term, at $1.70 to $1.90 a week. Four years later he had re- 
duced the second rate board and room to $1.50, though the 
higher board and room remained at $1.90. Following this 
period, owing to the changes in the economic world, it was 
necessary to make gradual increases in living expenses, but 
the cost of living, though actually increasing, remained lower 
in proportion to other schools than it had been even before. 
According to George Kennan, who visited the institution in 
1908, the per capita cost of the prime requisites of existence, 
food and shelter, was only twenty-three cents a day at Val- 
paraiso University. "One would hardly think it possible to 
furnish board, room, and higher education for the small sum 
of thirty-eight cents a day; but the Valparaiso University 
gives a student an abundant, well cooked, and well served 
dinner for ten cents, a breakfast for four cents, a supper 
for four cents, a good bed in a single furnished room for 
five cents, and tuition for fifteen cents a day." Further on in 
his article in McClure's Magazine, Mr. Kennan says : 

"The first supper that I had at Valparaiso was in the East 
Hall dining-room. It cost four cents, and consisted of hot 
tea biscuits, French fried potatoes, boiled or steamed rice, 
baked apples, with sugar and milk, stewed peaches, ginger- 
bread, and tea. Everything was good as it would have been 
in a well managed private household. The tables in the 
Valparaiso dining halls accommodate ten or twelve persons 
each, and are decorated with flowering plants furnished by a 
local florist at fifty dollars a year. These plants are changed 
from table to table every three or four days, and, as they 
go out of blossom, are taken away by the florist and replaced 
with others. Food is brought to the tables by student waiters, 
who are working their way through the University and re- 
ceive their board for their services." Regarding the cost 
of rooms, Mr. Kennan adds : "Students are housed in Val- 
paraiso almost as economically as they are fed. In the older 



86 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIJ^ERSITY 

dormitories a single furnished room costs sixty cents a week, 
and a double room one dollar a week. Both are intended 
for two occupants, but the latter consists of sitting room, 
bedroom, and closet. In the new Lembke Hall the rooms are 
all double, with hot and cold water, and the rental, including 
heat, is two dollars a week, or one dollar each for two. 
Lembke Hall tenants, however, have superior accommodations, 
and pay about forr\-nve cents more a week for board. At 
these rates the dormitories \-ield a revenue of from six to 
eight per cent on the sums invested in them. In each of the 
buildings for women there is a matron ; and students who wish 
to economize bj- doing their own washing may have the use 
of 3. well equipped laundry for five cents a day." 

William T. Walsh writing in the issue of March 14. 1^14. 
of Collier's, says : "Some time ago there appeared in Collier's 
an advertisement of Valparaiso University;, a privately oper- 
ated institution situated in the town of that name in Indiana. 
In this advertisement it was stated 'by apph-ing business 
principles to the "Cost of Living"'' , . . . the most satisfac- 
tory accommodations for board and room maj' be had at 
from $1.70 to |3 per week.' Subsequently the following letter 
of protest came to Collier's : 

La Crosse, Wiscoksix. 
Gentlemen — Please note the enclosed ad, and in the paragraph entitled 
"The Cost of Living,' note that satisfactory arrangements may be secured 
for SI. 70 per week. Will you kindly advise me where it is possible for 
a v%-hite man to secure accommodations at this price, as it is lower than 
is furnished to the State by the penitentiary, jail, and poorhouse? 
Isn't there a bit of graft about this institution from top to bottom? 

Sincerely yours, 

Leigh Tolavd. 

"Thereupon Collier's sent me to Valparaiso to investigate. 
With modifications not sufficiently serious to invalidate them, 
I found the claims made by the management of this L'niversity 
to be substantially correct, 

"An hour after my arrival in Valparaiso I had 'dinner,' 
the noon meal, in Heritage Hall, where 240 students are 
accommodated with table board. This was the menu : White. 
or Irish and sweet potatoes, slaw, two kinds of bread, but- 
terine, pork sausage, cornstarch pudding — everything un- 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 87 

limited in quantities. The quality of all was the best. The 
food was well cooked, cleanly served, on white-clothed tables. 
The cost of this sort of fare to the students is $1.40 a week, 
a trifle less than 7 cents a meal ! In three other halls 900 
more students were dining at the same hour but not at the 
same price. Though they were paying $1.75 and $2, there 
was no difference in the fare, at least in quality; only in 
variety. At the $1.75 per week tables, the addition of beef 
gravy and substitution of apple pie for pudding chiefly seemed 
to warrant the increased price; the surroundings were less 
severe, the furniture less plain. Creamery butter accounted 
for the $2 rate." 

Mr. Kinsey always tried to give the students the greatest 
possible variety in menu, which he watched very carefully, 
paying close attention to the various conditions which af¥ect 
appetite and food consumption, such as weather, temperature, 
and amount of outdoor exercise. He owned a large orchard 
in Ohio, had under cultivation several gardens worked by 
students under the direction of hired gardeners, and sought 
co-operation with the local farmers and gardeners, efifecting 
a profit to them by furnishing student help and supplying 
a sure market for their product before the seed is sown, 
and receiving his sweet corn, celery, potatoes, or whatever the 
crop might be, at less than half the cost in the open markets. 
He was so well acquainted with crop conditions that he knew 
just what foods would be high at a certain time of the year, 
just when and where to buy them, and just how long they 
would keep. His knowledge of the relative values of different 
foods placed him in an advantageous position over those 
who did not have such knowledge. He knew a good apple, 
pear, peach, potato, or beet when he saw it, and he knew 
under what conditions it must be kept to preserve it with 
the least possible deterioration. This scientific knowledge of 
the value and conservation of foods, combined with his wide 
acquaintance with crop conditions and the economic status of 
different parts of the country, enabled him to purchase large 
quantities of supplies without taking the risks commonly ac- 
companied witli like enterprises, such as decay in storage, 
clianges in the market value, and fraud in the transaction. 



88 STORY OF VALPARAISO VXIVERSITY 

Besides making all purchases and contracts, Mr. Kinsey 
supervised in person the repair of the buildings, the work 
of the gardeners, cooks, and student helpers. He worked 
out many devices whereb}' small economies were effected, such 
as the disposal of waste products, the prevention of unneces- 
sary labor, and the easy and economical distribution of sup- 
plies. The work of the student helpers was of a highly 
specialized character, some were operators of the different 
m.achines, some waiters, janitors, dishwashers, and others 
looked after the secretarial and supervisory work of the 
boarding and rooming business. Wherever labor and time 
could be saved, provided it did not involve unnecessary waste, 
machinery was used. The dishes were washed, potatoes 
peeled, fruits pared, meats cut, and bread was sliced, with 
machinery adapted for the purposes. Nearly every week 
Mr, Kinsey would make a little talk to the students at the 
boarding halls. He would advise them to economize, to aid 
him in keeping down the cost of going to school. They 
were told not to take more food on their plates than they 
could eat. and not to waste butter, sugar, and other expensive 
foods. "If 3-ou have eaten two or three slices of bread." he 
would sa\-, "and feel that you would like some more, but not 
a whole slice, break off half a slice and leave the rest on the 
plate." Simple, clean, nutritious, and wholesome food in suffi- 
cient quantities, and good service, were the result of Mr. 
Kinsey's constant application of his energ}-, intelligence, and 
business capacity to the problem of reducing the cost of liv- 
ing. By a system of rigid economy and hard work, clothed 
in a beautiful spirit of democrac}', he kept the doors of 
opportunity open in spite of the extravagant tendencies of 
the age, and thousands of men and women were enabled to 
remain in school who otherwise must have foregone the 
privileges of higher education. 

Reading the stor>' of Mr. Kinsey's remarkable achievement 
in solving the living problem is likely to give us the impres- 
sion that he devoted all his time to this one particular phase 
of the educational work at Valparaiso. But that was far 
from being the case. Besides his many duties as vice-president 
and one of the administrators and partners of tlie institution, 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 89 

he spent long hours in the college office doing clerical work, 
was head of the Scientific Class, taught several classes for 
many years, and took a personal interest in many students 
whom he was helping through school. The university library 
is largely a production of his unceasing industry. He served 
on the city council and for several terms was a member of 
the Porter County Council. When the City of Valparaiso 
organized the public library, Mr. Kinsey was appointed chair- 
man of the board of directors, a position which he filled for 
many years. He organized the water company which supplies 
Valparaiso with its water. He was elected president of the 
Northern Indiana Teachers* Association, The State Teachers' 
Association of Indiana, and held membership in several soci- 
eties and clubs, among which are the Chicago Press Club, 
the American Geographical Society, the American Economic 
Association, the American Civic Association, the American 
Academy of Science, and the Society for Promoting Industrial 
Education. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and considered himself a Republican in politics, but 
his views of moral character and his broad minded attitude 
towards political affairs are not confined to any sectarian or 
partisan limitations. Though he wrote little, he was always 
ready to give a lecture upon current topics or educational 
and economic questions. His mastery of detail, his wide 
general knowledge, his capacity for work, and his pleasant, 
simple mannered devotion to the common welfare, made him 
a distijict personality. 

Mr. Kinsey also saw the poetry in the vast industry which 
he was conducting for the education of young men and 
women. This little poem entitled "The Corn," written by him, 
shows his appreciation of the poetic in life : 



With many a flaunt of green and gold, 

And many a glint of yellow, 

My banners beautiful unfold, 

In bright September mellow; 

I nod beneath the Hunter's moon. 



90 STOKl' OF J'ALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

In camps whose fires are buried, 

I waken with a million spears 

In brown ranks, staunch and serried; 

A whisper follows on the wind. 

An echo on the river. 

Come rain or drought, or sun or snow. 

Let Corn be king forever — 

Hail King Corn, forever — 

Hail, King Corn -forever I 

I brave the frosts of northern lands, 

I challenge broad savannas. 

While wheat and rice together bow 

Before my valiant banners; 

Xor golden West nor teeming East 

Such wealth as mine can borrow. 

The states are sentineled by corn, 

A fortress in each furrow. 

A call is borne upon the wind, 

An echo on the river. 

Come rain or drought, or sun or snu^^ . 

Let Maize be king forever — 

Maize be king forever — 

Crown King Maize forever! 

In May I sprout, then daily grow, 
The sun mj^ willing vassal: 
My silken gown by August moon 
Is hung with golden tassel. 
I reign, yet servant am to all, 
I live in song and story. 
For long the Indian maize shall be 
" The nation's pride and glory. 

Then list the ripple in the corn. 

Where'er my spear points quiver. 

No famine fear, nor blight be near. 

Our sovereign Maize forever — • 

Hail, O Maize, forever — 

Hail, O Maize, forever. 

His patience, his many little deeds of generosity, his kindly 
attitude towards those struggling to attain a worthy goal, and 
his unfailing honesty in fulfilling all his promises, gave him 
an exceptionally warm place in the hearts of those who, by 
reason of natural handicaps, were neglected by society. He 
and Mrs. Kinsey. who should be given a high place of im- 
jiortance in making possible hi? successful life, were never too 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 91 

busy to attend the meetings of the Star, Crescent, or -other 
student functions, and they were seldom absent from an 
alumni banquet or faculty gathering. This central position 
in Valparaiso was recognized as well in the city as it was in 
the institution. Probably no other man has ever made so deep 
an impression upon his home community as Mr. Kinsey has 
done in Valparaiso. In Valparaiso they swear by his hon- 
esty and consult his counsel as if it were constitutional law. 
None loved and reverenced Mr. Kinsey more than his own 
students in the Scientific Department. This is a student's 
report of an evening with the Kinseys : "Professor and Mrs. 
O. P. Kinsey entertained the Scientific Class and the teachers 
of the department at their home Saturday evening. The corn- 
pany numbered perhaps 150. The evening was delightfutV 
spent with games and other appropriate social devices on 
the lawn and within the house. Supper was served, the 
tables being handsomely decorated with small satin flags as 
favors. One of the pleasant features of the gathering was 
the presentation by the Class to Professor Kinsey of a beauti- 
ful gas lamp of costly design." 

By the practice of rigid economy in time, labor, pleasure, 
and the necessities of life, Valparaiso University placed a 
thorough practical education within the reach of every ambi- 
tious able-bodied man and woman, irrespective of age, race, 
nationality, class, religion, political belief, or previous educa- 
tional training. A full understanding of the foregoing state- 
ment, combined with a knowledge of the lives, personality, and 
educational and business capacity of Mr. Brown and Mr. 
Kinsey, places us in a position to appreciate the meaning of 
Valparaiso University. We have already considered Mr. Kin- 
sey's scheme for the reduction of the cost of the prime 
requisites of human existence, food and shelter, but his 
economy of the necessities of life was much more compre- 
hensive than this. One of his first steps was to teach the 
student the difiference between his wants and his needs. 

The student was taught that his needs remained much 
the same wherever he went, while his wants were determined 
largely by his past experience, social position, and the wants 
of those among whom he lived. Dispensing with unnecessary 



92 



STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 



and superfluous wants, and the greatest possible reduction 
in the cost of recognized needs, food, shelter, clothing, books, 
travel, recreation, and association with others, constituted the 
equalization of educational opportunity. The wants of the 
student has little to do wdth the cost of board, room, tuition, 
books, and passage to and from the institution, though even 
in these, past experience, social position, and the wants of others 
had a perceptible influence. Tuition was low, board and room 
were offered practically at cost, and a considerable saving to 
the student was effected b}' renting books. In the early days 
of the school wide latitude was given the student in the 




ALTRURIA HALL 

selection of text-books. If he happened to possess a text-book 
upon the particular course in question, and his book was a 
recognized authority on the subject, though not the one pre- 
scribed by the teacher, he was permitted to use it, a practice 
which was made impossible in some of the departments by the 
necessity of conforming to regulations of the state. Mr. 
Brown made arrangements with the trunk railway lines 
whereby students going to and coming from Valparaiso ob- 
tained reduced rates. 

But clothing, recreation, and association with others are 
governed in a much larger degree by the wants and desires 
of the student and his social relation with those among whom 
he lives. To reconcile the social wants and the social needs 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 93 

of the student Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey established and 
successfully maintained for nearly forty years a free, inex- 
pensive, informal, and democratic social atmosphere, where 
class and rank were unrecognized, where work, not wealth, 
was the standard, and where everyone, rich or poor, old or 
young, was judged by the merit of his attainments and the 
development of his moral and intellectual character. The 
economic value of this democracy can hardly be overestimated. 
It made wear, comfort, and decency, not style and cost, the 
standard of dress ; it made conversation, friendliness, experi- 
ence, unselfishness, and virtue, not clothes and wealth, the 
standard of social intercourse; and it made hard, conscien- 
tious, faithful work as a preparation for the serious affairs 
of life, not expensive and luxurious social gayety, the first 
object of college days. 

This economy of time, labor, and pleasure, made possible 
by collegiate democracy, was of no less importance that the 
economy of the necessities of life. By short vacations, few 
holidays, continuous session, long hours, prompt beginning, 
and hard work, it was possible for Valparaiso University to 
give a course in two years that other schools offered in four. 
Economy in labor was effected by a system of flexible regu- 
lations, dispensation of unnecessary formal devices, gradua- 
tion according to capacity, and entrance requirements based 
upon actual preparation. Social life in Valparaiso conformed 
to these practical rules of the institution and was governed 
by its economic and educational democracy. The societies, 
publications, and athletics all sought to give the student use- 
ful diversion from his scholastic duties. Purpose, scope, fre- 
quency, and practical effect were considered in determining 
the proper place of a social activity in Valparaiso, rather than 
its abstract moral character. 

Economy in time, labor, pleasure, and the necessities of 
life was not an end in itself, but a means to equalize the 
opportunity of obtaining the advantages of practical educa- 
tion. Practical education, as before pointed out, did not 
mean a technical course specially adapted to financial ends, 
or calculated to put the student in a position of pecuniary 
advantage. It meant rather the development of capacity, the 



94 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

cultivation of talent, the acquisition of useful general knowl- 
edge, and the evolution of the natural physical, mental, and 
moral powers, to widen our sphere of appreciation, and to 
meet and properly and intelligently deal with the problems, 
exigencies, and emergencies of everyday life. Buildings were 
erected, equipment was purchased, lands were acquired, de- 
partments were added, scope of instruction was enlarged, 
teachers were emplo3'ed, all in conformity with this primary 
purpose of the institution, to offer a thorough practical educa- 
tion at the lowest possible cost to the student. Even in the 
professional departments and schools there was this tendency 
to emphasize the practical phase of the work, in addition to 
its naturally technical character. The general appearance of 
the college buildings, the unostentatious campus, the humble 
appointments of the halls, the educational nature of the stu- 
dent activities, and the informal and unpretentious air of the 
college office, combined with the simple mannered bearing of 
Mr, Brown and Mr. Kinse}', indicated the high degree of per- 
fection attained by this practical democracy in Valparaiso 
Universit}^ 

Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey realized the need of offering 
the privileges of higher education to a large class barred from 
other institutions by social handicaps, insufficient preparation, 
lack of adequate means to attend an expensive school, and 
the highl}' technical and artificial entrance requirements. To 
remove these barriers, to make education accessible to all, 
to equalize opportunit}-, to place a thorough practical educa- 
tion within the reach of everyone, regardless of sex, age, race 
(negroes alone excepted), nationahtj^ class, religion, political 
belief, or previous educational training, was the complicated 
problem and arduous task with which these two educators 
were confronted. This fundam.ental purpose was also a de- 
terminate factor in the nature of the instruction offered. 
These students had not had sufficient early training and atten- 
tion to ever become classic scholars. The best they could hope 
for was a fair appreciation of classic learning and a practical 
education which would put them in way of bettering their 
financial, social, moral, and intellectual condition. A few^ of 
them might attain eminence as lawyers, legislators, teachers, 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 95 

writers, or scientists, there might even be a genius among 
them, but the greater part of them would be com.pelled to 
rest content with an ordinarA' business or professional success 
In a comm.unity of lim.ited ambitions. The institution was not 
established for the exceptional man. Mr. Kinsey used often 
to admonish the students of the dangers and pitfalls lying- 
in the path of the man who conceives himself an exception 
to the rule, the man who thinks it is unnecessary to regard 
the laws which govern the ordinary individual. Valparaiso 
University grew up with the people, was supported by the 
people, was managed by men who were of the people, and 
was eminently adapted to the needs of the people. 

But this democracy, this atmosphere of equal opportunity, 
was more than economic, social, and educational, it was also 
characterized by its unselfish moral standards, which judged 
each individual by his merits, capacity, sincerity, opportunity, 
industry, and true worth. The students who came to Val- 
paraiso University came of their own accord, seeking the 
development of their natural powers and capacity, the op- 
portunity to put themselves in way of achievement and such 
betterment of social and intellectual condition as might be 
attained by application and patient industry. While the re- 
ligious interests of the institution received careful atten- 
tion, no sectarianism was introduced or encouraged. There was 
a students' prayer meeting and a students' Sunday School 
class ; the institution alw^ays encouraged the Y. M. C. A. and 
the Y. W. C. A. Mr. Kinsey assumed a full share of the 
burdens of the Methodist Church, of which he was a member. 
Every Sunday morning Mr. Brown stood at the entrance of 
the Christian Church, welcoming all who came, just as sin- 
cerely and cheerfully as he greeted his students arriving at 
the University. But these two educators were fully cognizant 
of the inadequacies and limitations of sectarianism as a founda- 
tion for an educational philosophy. Mahometans and Con- 
fucianists, Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants, 
Presbyterians and Methodists, every creed, sect, and philos- 
ophy, lived in harmony, sought the realization of their ambi- 
tions, and were judged by the same principles of capacity, 
industry and character. 



96 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

Dancing, inter-collegiate athletics, and fraternities and 
sororities, were too expensive and undemocratic to harmonize 
with the principles of the institution. The social, physical 
and educational rewards of dancing are not commensurate 
with its cost in time, money, and energy. Mr. Kinsey and 
Mr. Brown did not condemn dancing as such, they acknowl- 
edged its propriety- and value in its place, but found little 
room for it in their educational sj'stem, which was made pos- 
sible only by the rigid application of general economy. They 
saw no relation between inter-collegiate athletics and physical 
education. Inter-qpllegiate athletics existed on a small scale, 
but the system was kept democratic, and was not allowed 
to develop a few at the expense of the many. Fraternities 
and sororities, with their undemocratic and despotic tenden- 
cies, their false standards of character, social refinement, and 
scholarship, their total lack of appreciation of values, and 
their destruction of personality, were imresenedly forbidden 
in this democracy-. Mr. Brown and !Mr. Kinsey fully imder- 
stood nearly fiftj- years ago what many educators are now 
onl3- beginning to learn, that thousands of worthy men and 
women are barred the privileges of university training by an 
unnatural and abnormal system of inter-collegiate athletics 
and fraternities, a system which, with its false standards and 
unjust criticisms, hangs like a treacherous net across the 
doors of educational opportunity-. 

For many j-ears the Chicago alumni made annual pil- 
grimages to Valparaiso. In 1911 Mr. Brown, grown gray in 
the service of the institution and humanitj-, stood on the 
campus near Students' Bridge, and with outstretched arms 
received them as the\' came up from the Xickel Plate railway 
station. They came to him as a father, and he was glad to 
receive so many who had known him in his days of hard 
work and trials, who had taken advantage of the opportunities 
he had offered, and who had gone out into the world and 
made good on the training received at Valparaiso. After 
\'isiting scenes of former daj-s, they all gathered in the 
Auditorium where they spoke of the good old times in Val- 
paraiso, and the\- sang: 



VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 97 

In the good old Iloosier town, 
In the good old Hoosier town, 
'Twas happy days we spent with you 
And Professor H. B. Brown, 

Our memories will e'er return 
As the wheel of time goes round, 
To the Valpo University 
And the good old Hoosier town. 

A fine banquet prepared by Mr. Kinse\' was waiting for 
them at East Hall, where they all became students again, so 
real were the memories of their schooldays. 

In November, 1911, in the midst of this prosperity, just 
when Valparaiso University was doing her greatest w^ork, 
Prof. Martin E. Bogarte died. He had conducted chapel 
services in the morning, attended a meeting of his Sunday 
school class at the Christian Church in the evening, and 
seemed to be well when he returned home. He fell dead 
while conversing with his family. It is difficult to place a 
proper estimate upon the influence of Mr. Bogarte in Val- 
paraiso University. His death was an irreparable and ir- 
retrievable loss to the institution. The following from the 
Valparaiso Messenger was published upon his death : "His 
charities and kindness were unobtrusive even to those who 
knew him well. He gave freely and liberally to all that 
seemed to him deserving. He lived a quiet, unostentatious 
life in his comfortable home. His greatest happiness was 
in that home and surrounded by his family. He was an 
indulgent father and a devoted husband. His friends felt 
that they could safely trust him, and his neighbors found 
him ready to co-operate with them in whatever was needed 
to make a better vicinity. The town had no more XoydX 
citizen." 

Professor Bogarte's death was only the beginning of a 
long series of misfortunes which, during the following nine 
3'ears, almost subverted the fundamental principles of the 
institution, even threatening its material existence. W^e must 
if we would thoroughly understand the situation, remember 
that Valparaiso University, with its student body in number 
second only to Harvard, famed throughout the world for its 



98 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

practical methods of instruction, its solution of the living 
problem, and its undefiled spirit of democrac}-, was the private 
propert}' of Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey. It was theirs to do 
with or dispose of as they saw fit. But they were public 
spirited men, educators of the first order, sincerely devoted to 
the cause of popular education, and regarded themselves 
merely as trustees of the people, managing the institution for 
the general welfare, and taking from its revenues no more 
than sufificient to maintain themselves in the simple life which 
they lived in Valparaiso. They fully intended at the proper 
time and under fitting circumstances, to invest the property 
and government of the school in a self-perpetuating body of 
trustees, composed of alumni and persons peculiarly inter- 
ested in the continuation of the institution upon the princi- 
ples which had from its foundation been its principal cause 
of success and its chief source of pride. Almost a 3'ear after 
Professor Bogarte's death, in the fall of 1912, while in the 
city of Boston, Henry Baker Brown was smitten with a 
stroke of paralysis, from which, though living for five years 
after, he never recovered. Our language is too incompetent, 
words are too destitute of power, to express the wave of 
sorrow and distress which passed through the students, the 
alumni, and the citizens of Valparaiso, upon the reception of 
the message. 

This sad tale of Mr. Brown's affliction brings back to 
memory the many happy scenes and incidents of his long life 
of kindly generosity and unselfish devotion to duty. We see 
him again a country boy on a farm in Ohio, a serious youth 
in. the local academy, a teacher in the district school, and an 
instructor in the Northwestern Normal School. Once more 
we recall his long journey from Ohio to Valparaiso in a one- 
horse open buggy, the first time he appeared before his stu- 
dents in the little chapel in the Old College Building on that 
September morning, and the following years of unceasing- 
labor to make the institution successful. We see him greeting 
his new students, carrying their parcels as he attends them 
to their room, and we see him sitting at the death-bed of his 
faithful friend and student, Pearly Sherman. How his face 
lighted up with joy when he announced that his old friend, 



VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 99 

the soldier, educator, and scholar, Professor Carver, was 
going to join his faculty! Then Mr. Kinsey came. Two 
brothers never loved each other more or worked with a 
nobler accord. For nearly forty years they labored without 
a single quarrel or disagreement. Opportunity and Economy 
were the respective watchwords of Henry Baker Brown and 
Oliver Perry Kinsey. With these two keys every heart and 
soul could be unlocked and the precious contents given in 
service to the world. ^ 

Each day strange, awkward, and ungainh' young men stood 
before these educators in the college office. They came from 
the North and the South, from the East and the West, from 
Europe and Asia, from the farms of the Middle West and the 
factories of the great cities, and from the mountains and 
the prairies, seeking opportunity to enjoy the untainted atmos- 
phere of Valparaiso democracy. They were treated as if they 
were ambassadors of a great commonwealth, come on a mis- 
sion of state. At an incredibly low cost they were given 
board, tuition, and room, and given the privilege of studying 
under the greatest masters of the time, Bogarte, Carver, and 
Miss Baldwin. A few short terms passed by, and these 
young men, once so uncouth and diffident, went out to assume 
the most responsible positions of private and public life. 
Hundreds became teachers and educators, others climbed high 
up the ladder of professional success, and still others gained 
eminence as legislators and statesmen, raising their voices in 
legislative halls and speaking in the highest councils of the 
nation. They had learned from Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey 
that high thinking and right living can be taught without 
bombast and dazzling clothes, that money is only a small con- 
sideration in the production of great men and great women, 
and that the human mind can develop as gloriously in the 
humble walks of life as on the highways of magnificence. 

It is hard for us to appreciate the high position which 
Mr. Brown held among the great educators of the United 
States. Many honors were conferred upon him b\^ successive 
governors of the State of Indiana. He at one time was 
elected fourth vice-president of the National Teachers' Asso- 
ciation, and later was a member of the board of trustees of 



100 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

that organization, acting as President in the absence of Nich- 
olas Murray Butler, to whom he was a close friend. He also 
was President of the Indiana Teachers' Association. Among 
those who came to Valparaiso and profited by the work of 
Mr. Brown, none was more appreciative than J. Frank Hanly. 
After he had won eminence as a lawyer, journalist, legislator, 
and statesman, while he was governor of the State of Indiana, 
before a large audience at Columbia City, he said: "Upon 
this platform there is a man I have known twenty-five years. 
If people could know what he has done for Indiana and this 
country they would rise up and call him blessed. Twenty-five 
years ago I came to him_, a timid, awkward, country boy and 
in three j^ears I came out of his room better equipped for 
the contest of life. He has done more for me than any 
other man could possibly have done. I will all my life be 
under obligations to him. I love him not for what he has 
accomplished but for what he is. His name is Henry Baker 
Brown." 



CHAPTER VI 

Mr, Kinsey, Valparaiso University, and the 
World War 

MR. KINSEY now became Acting President of Valparaiso 
University. A few months after Mr. Brown's illness, 
Henry Kinsey Brown, his eldest son, who had for a number 
of years previously been employed in a broker's office in 
California, returned to Valparaiso to assist Mr. Kinsey in 
the management of the University. The peculiar situation 
which grew out of the double property right in the institution, 
and the divided executive, did not immediately interfere with 
the general progress of the institution. In the three succeed- 
ing years the faculty was retained and enlarged, several de- 
partments were added, one of the largest buildings was erected, 
and the attendance continued to increase at the same rate 
that it had before 1912. In 1914 the High School Department, 
under the direction of Prof. Reuben M. Hamilton, formerly a 
student and long on the faculty, was established and recog- 
nized as an accredited high school by the State of Indiana. 
The *■ same year the Domestic Science Building was erected, 
and a department of Domestic Economy was established, under 
the management of Miss Florence Sw^an. The following year 
Mr. Kinsey introduced a department of Agriculture, with 
Prof. Earl Price as head of the classwork in the University, 
and Mr. Virgil Mood in charge of the crops and animal 
husbandry. Mr. W. E. Pinney, a close friend of Mr. Kinsey, 
gave the use of a large farm, situated within convenient reach 
of Valparaiso, as an experimental farm for the department. 
Mr. Kinsey retained the general management and direction of 
the Department of Agriculture, and had it not been for cer- 
tain unfortunate developments which later necessitated the 
discontinuation of the department in 1919, it would un- 
doubtedly have become one of the best agricultural schools in 
the United States. 

101 



1--2 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIJ'ERSITY 

The last regular department to be added to the University 
was the School of Bible Study, established in 1916 by the 
Reverend Pendleton, at that time Pastor of the Christian 
Church in- Valparaiso, He was succeeded tAvo years later b^- 
the Rev. \V. H. Trainum.. who remained at the head of the 
department until ^^19. when the school of Bible Study was 
discontinued. In 1913 Prof. Rollo A. Tallcott succeeded Pro- 
fessor Rieed as dean of the Department of Expression and 
Public Speaking. Mrs. Tallcott, who was an assistant teacher 
in English a few terms previoush*. took Miss Mantie Bald- 
win's place when she received a serious injury- in an accident 
in 191-5. Among the other teachers who joined the faculty 




during the ye^rs immediateh* following the illness of Mr. 
Brown were Prof. Eber H. Wisner, who joined the Pharmacy- 
faculty in 1913, Prof. S. E. Shideler. who joined the Educa- 
tional faculty in 1914. and Prof. H. Rowland Roberts, who be- 
came as50(iiated with the Music Department in 1912. Others 
whom I can but mention here were David L. Snader. W illiam O. 
Speer, T. L. Hjttinen, George A. Sparks, Miss Gertrude Aby. 
Qarence Loomis, Frank Estes Kendrie, Miss Altha De Witt, 
Jacob Essenburg, Burton Howlett. S. A. Rifenburgh, Frank 
Theroux, Charles E. Lape. and many others. Prof. Oliver 
E. Damron who joined the faculty- several years before the 
beginning of this period, and whom I failed to mention in the 
proper place, vsas at this time Professor of Mathematics. 



MR. KINSEY AND THE WAR 103 

In 1914 a group of students organized and began the publi- 
cation of a little weekly paper called Track News, the name 
of which indicates the important position which athletics were 
assuming in the college life at Valparaiso. This attempt to 
publish a paper proving unsuccessful, in the fall of the same 
3-ear the Torch was established as a monthly magazine, de- 
voted to the interests of the school in general, and especially 
to the interests of athletics, which was the current topic during 
these years among the students. After an existence of about 
a year the Torch was suspended, owing to the lack of money 
to continue it. In the fall of 1915 the Students' Council, re- 
cently organized, revived the Torch as a college paper, this 
time as a weekl}^, under the management of the entire student 
body. The campaign for more and better athletics grew 
until the year 1916, when the Students' Council began the 
building of the Gymnasium. Mr. Kinsey very kindly sup- 
ported the students in this move, and had not it been for the 
fact that he signed a note with the Council, the gymnasium 
could not have been built. The original plan was to raise 
part of the money by subscriptions from the students, and 
the remainder by charging a small entrance fee at the most 
important games. Inter-collegiate athletics at this time were 
limited in Valparaiso, and the greater part of the sport con- 
sisted of games between the various departments. 

Mr. Kinsey says that the year 1914-1915 was the largest 
in number of students enrolled in the whole history of the 
institution. Almost from the beginning the W'orld War made 
deep inroads into the student bod}-. Many students were com- 
pelled to leave school because their expenses were being paid 
by friends or relatives in foreign countries, and upon the 
outbreak of the war they were unable to get money from 
home. Man}'^ others withdrew from the University to enter 
the armies and navies of their respective governments. Mr. 
Kinsej' spent several hundred dollars for which he got and 
did not expect any return, in helping foreign students, who 
were severed from their usual course of support, to find em- 
ployment, or in paying their transportation to their homes 
or to a place where they might maintain themselves during 
the war. But all this weakened the Universitv, and as the 



104 STORY OF ]\iLPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

decrease of students grew larger each term, it was obviously 
necessarj- to resort to some plan which would put the insti- 
tution in way of supporting itself, and at the same time assure 
its perpetuitj- upon its original principles and purposes. Thus 
far the Universit>- had been self-supporting, and the only debt 
of the institution was the amount expended to erect the 
E>omestic Science Building. This was the situation in 1917 
when Mr. Kinsey and the Brown family decided to make 
another attempt to raise an endowment, provide for the cur- 
rent expenses by asking help from the alumni and the citizens 
of the cit\-, and make other such arrangements necessan,' to 
standardize the institution' according to the regulations and 
requirements of the State of Indiana. 

Many years previously to this time Mr. Brown and Mr. 
Kinsey had planned to turn the institution over to a self- 
perpetuating board of trustees, raise an endowment sufficient 
to meet the requirements of the state in order to standardize 
the institution, and leave it as a bequest to future generations 
of A'oung men and young women seeking the peculiar oppor- 
tunities which Valparaiso University always offered. But all 
these attempts to put the University in way of perpetuation 
were foiled b}- Mrs. Brown's failure to appreciate the real 
nature of the college propert}'. Mr. Brown himself was under 
no illusions as to the outcome of the present organization if 
arrangements were not made for the government of the insti- 
tution after he and Mr. Kinse}- should withdraw. In speaking 
of Mrs. Brown's attitude respecting the nature of the college 
property. I do not wish to be understood as conveying the 
notion that the position taken by her was especially derogatory. 
It is a fundamental conception which largely determined the 
course of the institution during the last seven or eight years, 
and which must be understood if we are to see clearly the 
causes which brought about the unfortunate period through 
which the school has just passed. 

Mrs. Brown continually refused to sign the papers neces- 
sary to make the transfer of the institution legal. But Mr. 
Brown and !Mr. Kinsey still had hope that she would some- 
time see the error of such a policy, and that the Universitv' 
might be legally transferred to a board of trustees and 



MR. KINSEY AND THE WAR 105 

standardized. They fully understood that the University prop- 
erty could not be handed down to the children of the Brown 
family, generation after generation, and continue to be used 
for an institution of learning. But Mrs. Brown not willing 
to sacrifice the property rights in the school, regarded the 
institution as an accumulation of wealth. She apparently 
saw no reason why her children should not inherit the school 
and manage it as their father had done. Mr. Brown and 
Mr. Kinsey realized the disastrous consequence which this 
view would entail after they withdrew from the institution, 
and endeavored to persuade her to consent to the transfer of 
the propert}' to a board of trustees, a transaction which would 
not be legal without her signature. F'inally in 1917, or the 
previous year, they secured her verbal- consent to put her 
signature on the necessary papers, and made arrangements to 
launch a campaign to raise an endowment of two hundred 
thousand dollars, the amount then required by the state for 
standardization. 

In the early spring of 1917 a meeting was held in Val- 
paraiso in the interests of the endowment campaign. More 
than thirty thousand dollars was pledged by citizens, and a 
great deal of enthusiasm was shown by everyone. It seemed 
that at last Valparaiso University would be properly organized 
and its perpetuity assured. But when it came to signing 
the legal papers in spite of previous arrangements and prom- 
ises, no agreement could be reached, and the whole affair came 
to naught, much to the sorrow of those interested in the 
institution. It now appeared that there was little hope of ever 
transferring the school to a board of trustees until the prac- 
ticality of the move was demonstrated by -allowing the insti- 
tution to suffer all the consequences which would inevitably 
follow, an experiment which in all probability would wreck 
the University, leaving both the Brown family and the Kin- 
seys without a cent for their long years of work, and not 
even a monument to the great educational services of Mr. 
Brown and Mr, Kinsey. 

The fatal miscarriage of the endowment campaign of 1917 
was followed by a seemingly endless series of perplexing 
difficulties which resulted in the late upheaval surrounding 



1<:'6 STORY Of VALPARAISO UMJ'ERSITY 

the discharge of Daniel Russel Hodgdon. and the consequence 
of which cannot yet be fully determined. Professor Carver 
died in January, 1917. In April the United States declared 
war on Germany, and proceeded to make gigantic prepara- 
tions to support the allied cause in the World War. The 
whole nation was almost immediately diverted from its normal 
channels to render service to the Government In the six 
months immediately following the entrance of the United 
States into the war. more than one thousand three hundred 
students in Valparaiso UniversitA' left the class room to enter 
the arm}' and navy. The faculty could no longer be retained 
m its former proportions. To call the facult}- together, these 
men and women who had served so long and so faithfully, 
and determine who should retire from the faculty and who 
should remain, was the hardest and saddest task of all for Mr. 
Kinsey. We can hardh- appreciate the position of ^Ir, Kinsey 
during the war period. He was a member of a partnership 
which had ceased to function, and to remain meant long 
months and even years of hard work for an institution which 
could have no future so long as its present organization was 
retained, and to withdraw in a time like this meant the 
collapse of the school under the awful war cloud then pend- 
ing over the nation. With this feeling and knowledge Mr. 
Kinsej' set to work to save the institution in this time of 
distress, for what purpose he hardly knew, but hoping that all 
would be well in the future. "Still we did survive, and no 
stronger proof of the vitality of the University can be given 
than that it came through this crisis," says a circular recently 
published by the Board of Trustees. 

The story of Mr. Kinse\', Valparaiso University, and the 
\\'orld War. never can be adequately told. By the use of 
ever}- conceivable device of economy, by the untold sacrifices 
of the faculty, and by the unceasing personal application of 
[Nlr. Kinse}', the institution survived the period of depression 
with its general organization intact, and with no great burden 
of indebtedness. The greater part of the enormous indebted- 
ness with which the University is now burdened has been 
contracted since the withdrawal of Mr. Kinsey. Different 
individuals have told me that the institution was tided through 



MR. KINSEY AND THE WAR 107 

the war period by the contracts between the Government and 
the University, for which Henry K. Brown was largely re- 
sponsible. But I have been unable to find that these govern- 
mental contracts were of any material benefit to the school. 
Mr. Kinsey made no profit at all on the soldiers whom he 
boarded, and not more than one or two hundred of the 
entire number in the institution ever became regularly regis- 
tered students in the diff^erent courses. The prestige of having 
contributed to the Government, then seeking schools, and 
barred from many colleges, and the slight aid received by 
different members of the faculty as instructors of the sol- 
diers, with part of their salary paid by the Government, were 
the only advantages gained by having the soldiers here. The 
University never received a cent for having them here, and 
for the most part the arrangement was made and the busi- 
ness was operated by Henry K. Brown, who acted inde- 
pendently of the institution. 

It was owing to the work of Mr. Kinsey and the faculty, 
not to anything that Henry K. Brown did, that brought 
Valparaiso University through the national crisis of the 
World War. How this was possible when the attendance was 
at its lowest ebb, and when expenses were enormously in- 
creased, will ever remain one of the remarkable achievements 
of the institution. Unfortunately, while the University was 
in this precarious condition, and while Mr. Kinsey was labor- 
ing night and day at a great sacrifice of time, health, and 
money to save the institution, another force was at work, 
imperceptible to the outside world, more destructive to the 
University even than the war. I would gladly omit the 
relation of this part of the story of Valparaiso University if 
it were not that in doing so I should break the thread of 
causation, leave a chasm in the history of the institution, 
and do an injustice to Mr. Kinsey. Fairness to Mr. Kinsey, 
fairness to Valparaiso University, and fairness to the alumni, 
demand that a satisfactory explanation be given for Mr. Kin- 
sey's withdrawal from the school in a time when his services 
were most needed, and his apparent lack of interest in the 
late endowment campaign. 

Since Mr. Brown's death Mr. Kinsey had become identi- 



108 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIFERSITY 

fied so closely with the institution that it was hard to think 
of the one without thinking also of the other. Even as an 
indi^-idual 'Sir. Kinsey was regarded as an institution by 
hundreds who had moved within the sphere of his uplifting 
influence. His faith in the principles of the institution, his 
unselfish devotion to the duties of its administration, his 
religious adherence to honest business, his wide and appre- 
ciative knowledge of human nature, and his impretentious 
and kindly generositj* to those in need, had made him the 
official, business, and spiritual head of Valparaiso Universir\-. 
Xot only the larger things in his life, but also the httle things, 
the little kindnesses, the keen appreciation of humble and 
simple matters, the regard of httle promises, won for him 
almost imiversal respect among all who knew him. But 
oHicialh- and from the business standpoint Mr. Kinsey was 
only one member of a partnership, owning only half of the 
business interests of the firm Brown and Kinsey, and could 
not without the consent of the interests of the Brown estate 
decide upon any future policy of the institution. So long as 
Henr\- Baker B^o^^^l lived and retained his faculties, the ad- 
ministration was unhampered by difference of opinion, for 
Mr, Brown and Mr. Kinsey were at one in respect to the 
principles of the school, and this, united with a profound 
confidence and strong personal regard between the two men. 
gave the University an executive as strong and undivided 
as if it had been under the management of a properly 
organized board of trustees. 

It was at this time that Mrs. Brown, the wife of the 
founder, decided to put into effect her program of making 
an educator and university president of her son, Henr\- K. 
Brown. Her object in refusing her sanction to an organiza- 
tion of the institution tmder the management of a board of 
trustees had been, as we have seen, because she regarded the 
University as an accumulation of inheritable personal prop- 
erty*, and because she cherished dreams of seeing her children 
directing the institution upon the same grand scale of former 
years, when Mr. Brown was in his palmiest days. Her 
ambitions were legitimate in themselves, but they were im- 
practicable for several reasons. Henn,- K. Brown was neither 



MR. KINSEY AND THE WAR 100 

an educator, as he always frankly admitted, nor an executive 
with sufficient experience and ability to manage Valparaiso 
University. He had continually refused to prepare himself 
for a career involving long years of conscientious study and 
intensive training necessary to fit himself for the responsible 
position at the head of the institution which his father founded 
and for so many years successfully managed. The conse- 
quence was that when he conceived the ambition of supplant- 
ing Mr. Kinsey as head of Valparaiso University he found 
himself poorly equipped in experience and with practically no 
academic training. But Mrs. Brown's faith in her son's 
ability and genius was so absolute and unwavering that she 
did not deem his lack of schooling and experience as disquali- 
fying him for the work in the least. To prevent the manage- 
ment of Valparaiso University from falling into the hands of 
men incompetent of controlling its business activities and 
incapable of appreciating its educational ideals, had always 
been of the greatest concern to ^Ir. Brown and Mr. Kinsey. 
But the fate of the school now depended upon whim and 
fancy, and no longer was under the directing intelligence and 
wisdom of the old management. 

Mr. Kinsey and Henry K. Brown disagreed upon nearly 
every question of policy which came up. Even if Mr. Brown 
had not been disqualified for the position by lack of capacity, 
education, and practical experience, it is very improbable that 
he could have successfully managed the school. His views 
of education were diametrically opposed to the principles of 
the institution. He had little use for the old democracy 
of economy and hard work. According to his notion the 
University's greatest fault lay in its under estimation of fra- 
ternities, inter-collegiate athletics, and other college activities 
which held a subordinate position in the old regime in Val- 
paraiso. He thought that if Mr. Kinsey could be forced from 
the school, or if he would of his own accord withdraw, he 
could put new life into the institution by introducing those 
activities hitherto forbidden entirely, or maintained in a posi- 
tion relatively subordinate to education. He failed to see 
the great need of offering education to the thousands who 
could not obtain it elsewhere, and he failed to see that to 



no STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

alter the course of the institution he would throw it into 
competition with heavily endowed universities, and remove 
the one excuse which Valparaiso University has for being, 
to fill the chasm left open by other schools which do not de- 
pend upon rendering satisfactory service for their existence. 
Business ability and educational standing would have aided 
him very little in successfully managing an institution with 
the principles and purposes of which he was out of harmony. 
His view of education, if it can be called a view, had nothing 
in common with the unique educational philosophy of his dis- 
tinguished father. 

There was now only one thing for 'Mr. Kinsey to do. To 
dissolve the partnership and have the assets of the institution 
sold to a third party would not be fair to the students, the 
alumni, or the citizens of Valparaiso, and to remain and work 
with Henry Kinsey Brown was impossible. He had already 
suffered all the inconveniences and unpleasant experiences 
usually accompanying a condition resulting from an unsatis- 
factory partnership. He would gladly have seen the institu- 
tion turned over to a board of trustees and standardized, but 
Mrs. Brown would not listen to any such arrangement or 
disposal of the propert}-. She thought that her children could 
bring the school back to its old prosperity just as soon as 
Mr. Kinsey would leave. She did not realize that the only 
hope of the school la}' in the very plan advocated by Mr. 
Kinsey. No doubt she was sincere in her ambitions, and her 
plans were prompted b}^ the natural desires of a mother to 
better the condition of her children. If this is true it is sufficient 
excuse on the part of ]Mrs. Brown, because it would then be 
unselfish and calculated to help those whom she loved. But 
the plan worked disaster and almost ruin to the institution. 
]\Ir. Kinsey gave his half and considerable money that the 
institution owed him to the Brown family, they agreeing to 
get a loan to pay the amount owed to third parties by the 
school. Mr. Kinsey was already past seventy years of age, 
and since there was no hope to rebuild the school under the 
double management, he severed all connections with the insti- 
tution, hardly expecting that it would survive, but never 
losing faith and always hoping that all would turn out well. 



MR. KINSEY AND THE WAR 111 

This notice was given to the public upon the dissolution of 
the firm of Brown and Kinsey, which had managed the 
University for nearl}^ forty years: 

Valparaiso, Ind., May I, 1919. 
'J'his is to advise you that the lirnt of Brown and Kinsey has been dis- 
solved hy mutual consent, Mr. Kinsey retiring from the firm and from 
the University. 

It would be impossible to express in words your many kindnesses and 
favors in the many years of our association. 

Henry Kinsey Brown, son of the former President Henry Baker 
Brown, assumes charge of the business and we bespeak for the University 
the continuance of your good will. 

Yours very truly. 

Brown and Kinsey, 
Per Oliver P. Kinsey. 

The following brief note was sent to each member of the 
faculty the same day : 

May 1, 1919. 
To the Faculty: 

Father Time keeps throwing on the screen of the moving picture of 
my life the shadow of the coming "seventy." I heed the warning and 
retire. 

Your loyalty has been most noble, generous and devoted. No two 
people ever had more or better friends than Mrs. Kinsey and T. We 
could pay you no greater tribute. 

Most respectfully, 

Oliver P. Kinsey. 

Even the oldest members of the faculty knew very little 
about the real circumstances surrounding Mr. Kinsey's retir- 
ing from Valparaiso University. He probably thought that a 
communication to the public regarding the matter could not 
possibly do any good, and his unperishable love for Henry 
Baker Brown very likely had a great deal to do with the 
magnanimous manner in which he withdrew. Mr. Kinsey 
never intentionally contributed anything to gossip, and this 
natural trait of his accounts in a large measure for his silence 
on the subject. So far as I know, to this day he has never 
told any but his most intimate friends. To show the deep 
appreciation of Mr. Kinsey by the faculty, especially the older 
members, I cannot do better than insert here a letter written 
by Miss Katherine Carver on behalf of the faculty to Mr. 
Kinsey at this time. It was given to him with other tokens 



112 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

of regard and appreciation at a meeting of the faculty held 
in honor of Mr. Kinsey just before he severed his connection 
with Valparaiso Universit)-. It is as follows : 

Mr. Kixsey: 

They say that you have reached the psalmist's goal of three score 
years and ten. On such an occasion it is fitting that a man's friends 
extend to him more than the casual greetings of the day, and what is 
more fitting than that we who earn our daily bread under your friendly 
guidance should be here tonight. Indeed we could not stay away. 

Three score and ten; What is three score and ten? Is it that old 
Ege of which Cicero said that all men longed for it, but no man wanted 
it when it came, or is it what a wiser man meant when he said: 

"Grow old along with me, 
The best is yet to be. 
The last of life for which the first As-as made." 

For surely three score and ten need not be old age. Three score and 
ten, active, alert, kindly, helpful, is but the prime of life, and we who 
see you daily, who come to you with our petty annoyances and axe sure 
of help, who bring to you also our graver troubles and feel them light- 
ened when you take hold, who see you listening patiently to the trivial 
complaints of the humblest, and meeting on equal terms the highest in 
the land, who nave felt the tears start at some poetic utterance ef your 
soul, and then have smiled to hear you order provisions for a regiment, 
we who have wondered at the genial humor with which you meet all 
situations, and at your courage which has stood up brave and bright in 
dark and anxious hours, can only marvel at the versatile spirit which 
makes it all possible. 

If this be the spirit of youth, then surely you have discovered the 
fabled fountain: if it is the spirit of age. all hail to age. and may we too 
attain some measure of its sweetness. 

We come \H-ith trivial gifts, mere emblems of the reverence and re- 
spect our lips refuse to utter, a thank offering for the privilege we have 
enjoyed of working by your side and claiming you a friend. 

And let me add this tribute to the rest — a pot of posi^, symbol of 
the beauty in your life. Accept it with our love, and may each Wossom 
add another year. 

Katherixs E. C^H\ia- 



CHAPTER Vn 
Henry Kinsey Brown 

IT is not my intention to dwell at length upon Henry K. 
Brown's career as president of Valparaiso University. His 
error lay in the assumption of the task rather than in the 
series of unfortunate events for which he was responsible. 
The institution has just emerged from the perplexing difficul- 
ties of the war with the buildings and equipment in bad 
repair, social activities in a state of depression, expenses 
greatly increased, many deficiencies in the faculty and educa- 
tional departments, the attendance at its lowest ebb, and the 
teachers receiving pitifully inadequate salaries, all conditions 
which were recognized by Mr. Kinsey and the business men 
of the city as irremediable for any private enterprise, unsup- 
ported by outside sources, and depending upon the tuition of 
students. Henry K. Brown's folly consisted in believing that 
he had the educational, social, and business ability and experi- 
ence necessary to build upon this foundation, by private 
enterprise alone, an institution greater and larger than even 
the Valparaiso University of pre-war days. Added to his 
natural disqualifications for such an enormous undertaking, 
was his inability to appreciate the causes which had con- 
tributed most to the success of his father and Mr. Kinsey. 
He only added weight to his already almost impossible task 
when he introduced a new social order and a system of 
athletics which could not possibly be self-supporting in an 
institution of this character. 

Mr, Kinsey had released all his interests in the University 
upon two conditions. The Brown family were to assume all 
the indebtedness, which at that time was about ninety thou- 
sand dollars, the greater part of which had been contracted 
several years before to erect the Domestic Science Building. 
They were also to negotiate a loan covering the amount of 
indebtedness, the purpose of which was to terminate all former 

113 




HENRY KINSEY BROWN 



HENRY KINSEV BROWN 115 

agreements with patrons and creditors of the institution. JNlr. 
Kinsey also released certain sums of money owed him by the 
firm. All these agreements, so far as I am able to learn, were 
promptly fulfilled, and a loan of more than one hundred 
thousand dollars was negotiated through a bonding company, 
and all former creditors of the University were relieved. 
Valparaiso University was now the sole property of the Brown 
family just as it had been the sole property of Henry Baker 
Brown nearly forty years before, when Mr. Kinsey became 
part owner with Mr. Brown. Of course, Henry K. Brown 
was handicapped by this enormous loan, which hung like a 
leach upon the vitals of the institution, but he had plans 
whereby he thought he could easily free the school of this 
burden, placing it again in an independent position in respect 
to financial support. Here again he was misled by a lack of 
foresight in respect to the educational status of the country 
and his own capacity as a financier. 

Preparations and arrangements were now made for the 
reception of a large attendance. Mr. Brown saw no reason 
why the thousands of students who were at that time crowd- 
ing into the great universities throughout the country could 
not be brought to Valparaiso if the institution was properly 
advertised and offered the athletic and social inducements 
given by other schools. He failed to see that by diverting 
the school from its ancient channels and adopting the systems 
of other institutions he was throwing it into competition with 
highly endowed universities and colleges which do not depend 
upon being supported by tuition, but are supplied with financial 
support from men of wealth and by appropriations from state 
legislatures. 

Many minor changes were made, the college office was en- 
larged, Star and Crescent halls were combined into the present 
Thespian Hall, the Commercial Building was renovated, a 
cafeteria was installed in East Hall, and the grounds were 
cleaned up and everything received a new poHsh. Miss Ida 
Powell, dean of women and one of the chief satellites of the 
new president, says, after spending the summer vacation on 
the shores of Lake Erie : "Everything has been made over 
and polished up that one scarcely feels at home at first. The 




DANIEL RUSSEL HODGDOX 



HENRY KINSEY BROWN 117 

increased efficiency, made possible by the changes, is very wel- 
come, and I am sure that President Brown will receive the 
hearty co-operation of every individual in all departments of 
activity." "Without a doubt the new President's most prized 
inheritance from his distinguished father," says Miss Corboy, 
glad to see the change in administration, "is the forward 
looking thoughts that are so necessary in the make-up of the 
head of a university." 

The general public knew nothing of the critical financial 
situation of the University and little more concerning Mr. 
Brown's recent relations with Mr. Kinsey. Naturally the new 
president was not without those followers who honestly be- 
lieved in his leadership. He was young, in excellent health, 
friendly, kind, sociable, apparently sincere, enthusiastically 
energetic, and very impressive and convincing upon first inter- 
view. His promises of advanced salaries to the faculty, his 
plans to meet the financial situation, his opinions of social 
activities, and his absolute confidence in himself and his vivid 
dreams of the future, all appealed to the new students and 
surrounded him with a host who had an honest faith in his 
ability to improve and expand the institution. Few went to 
him without receiving assurance of a remedy for their par- 
ticular grievance, and everyone was treated with extreme 
courtesy and kindliness. Many felt that Henry K. Brown's 
entrance into the presidency was the beginning of a new era 
in the history of Valparaiso University. By the greater part 
of the students he was called the friend of the students and 
lauded as the man of improvement and progressive ideas. 

Though the faculty had lost many such men as Professors 
Bennett, Cloud, Black, Yeoman, Benton, Gillett, Shideler, 
Damron, Boman, and many others, their places were for the 
most part filled with capable instructors. Professor Timmons, 
who had died in 1918, was succeeded by Professor Wisner, 
who had joined the Pharmacy faculty in 1913. A short time 
before Mr, Kinsey retired Prof. John. W. Moreland took 
the place of Prof. Edward Anderson, who had been registrar 
for many years. Prof. Charles C. Brown, a man of long and 
wide experience in professional life, now became head of the 
Department of Engineering, a position which had been held 



lis STS'RY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

by Professor Yeoman for nearly ten years. Prof. Gustav 
Stephan, who had ioined the music faculty' as director of the 
orchestra and head of the department of violin in 1917. re- 
mained, and Prof. T. Francis Maguire, of whom it was said 
that in composing lie combines the gift of melody with the 
facultj- for lyric and dramatic expression, came as instructor 
in piano. The position of Professor Benton at the head of 
the Department of Commerce was taken b}* Prof. \\'. O. 
,\\'inkler. 

On Ma}' lOth, while Mr. Kinsey was still connected with 
the school, though not officialh*, Henry K. Brown appeared 
at a meeting of the Alpha Epsilon Fraternit>% an organization 
which had been in existence in secret for seventeen 3'ears, and 
publicly and officially recognized and gave his sanction to 
fraternities and sororities in Valparaiso University-. Though 
Mr, Brown and Mr. Kinsey had never had any quarrel with 
fraternities in other schools, they considered them as being 
opposed to the democratic spirit of Valparaiso. Greek Letter 
societies were too exclusive, too compact, and too secret to 
harmonize with the broad and comprehensive democrac}' which 
had placed Valparaiso Universit\' in a unique position among 
the educational institutions of the world. The^- could give 
nothing which could not be obtained as well by others means, 
but they did break up the old unit\- of college spirit, forming 
the student body into small groups opposed to each other 
socialh'. politically, and educatio^all^^ One of the greatest 
principles of the old regime was sacrificed by Henr\- K. Brown 
when he permitted secret societies to disturb the old college 
spirit which had permeated the institution for nearly half a 
century. Before the following year came to a close five 
sororities and eight fraternities had been organized, and the 
entire social order and athletic situation was under their 
domination.* From this time on the history of Valparaiso 
student life is largely a history of the doings of the fraterni- 
ties and sororities which were organized during this period-. 
Xo regulations or requirements were laid down bj* the ad- 
ministration to govern these organizations, and the result was 
a host of secret societies with no particular standards of char- 
acter or scholarship, though fortunatelj- most of these fra- 



HENRY KINSEY BROWN 119 

ternities and sororities are composed of fine men and women 
who have the interests of the institution at heart and beheve 
in its traditional policy of- economic and educational democracy. 

Henry K. Brown considered the small place given to inter- 
collegiate athletics as one of the chief faults of the old school 
under the management of his father and Mr. Kinsey. He now 
proceeded to employ George E. Keogan as director of ath- 
letics and made arrangements to build up a winning team in 
football, basketball, and baseball. The task which Mr. Keogan 
had before him when he came to Valparaiso was probably one 
of the most difficult with which a coach was ever confronted. 
Without the aid of any student organization, without the help 
of any of the alumni, and even with a considerable portion of 
the student body and faculty actually opposed to him, the new 
athletic director in an incredibly short time built up a winning 
team from a group of men, many of whom had previously 
known little about athletics. The purpose of establishing inter- 
collegiate athletics on a large scale in Valparaiso University 
was to unite the student spirit and advertise the institution. 
Mr. Keogan was very popular when he first came, in spite of 
the latent feeling that his system of athletics had no place in 
the democracy and economy of Valparaiso. Most of the 
athletes were fine fellows and well liked by the majority of 
students. Mass meetings, parades, and demonstrations of 
loyalty to the institution and to the team occurred before and 
after many of the more important games, and it seemed that 
the entire student body had at last seen the value derived from 
the new system and that athletics had come into the institution 
to remain. 

The fall term opened with a decided increase of attendance 
over the preceding term, an encouragement which put new life 
into the old spirit deadened during the war. The Torch, 
which had been suspended the previous year, was revived under 
the management of Frank W. Thomas, an old student in the 
University. Under the direction of Mr. Brown, Mr. Marston 
made arrangements to organize the alumni and publish a little 
quarterly magazine called the V alumni, the purpose of which 
was to inform the old students of the events taking place in 
Valparaiso. The various classes of the University held meet- 




TOHN E. ROESSLER 



HENRY KINSEY BROWN 121 

ings and elected representatives to the Students' Council, an 
organization charged with general supervision of the social 
and student activities. There was an air of confidence and 
progress among the faculty and students in all departments, 
and many thought that at last Valparaiso University had found 
the right leadership and that it would soon again take its 
place among the great universities of the world, this time in 
competition with other institutions in every educational and 
social activity. 

But this feeling of confidence in the new administration 
did not last long. Mr. Brown was unable to find any remedy 
for the rapidly increasing financial deficiencies. Nothing was 
done to improve the educational departments of the institution, 
and there was danger of losing all recognition in the collegiate 
world. The salaries of the faculty had been increased, but no 
provisions had been made to meet the increased demand for 
money. The attendance slackened slightly the second term 
and still more the third. Though Mr. Keogan had built up 
an excellent football and basketball team, the athletics failed 
in the two prime purposes, to bring more students to the Uni- 
versity and unify the student body into one college spirit. The 
expenses of the football alone exceeded the income of the 
regular athletic fees and gate receipts by more than two thou- 
sand dollars the first term. Mr. Keogan had become very 
unpopular with the greater part of the students, and by his 
tactics of dealing with them at the mass meetings and his 
general lack of sympathy with the old ideals and traditions 
of the University he continually ofifended them, the conse- 
quence of which was the dividing of the student body upon 
the athletic question, one group, the smaller, believing in Mr. 
Keogan and his system of athletics, and the other either not 
favoring intercollegiate athletics at all or believing in a system 
subordinate to the principles of the school and entirely under 
the management of an athletic association composed of repre- 
sentative students and members of the faculty. 

President Brown was absent from the school a great deal, 
a fact which gave rise to many rumors as to his plans for the 
following year. It was generally understood that Mr. Brown 
was making arrangements to finance the school by obtaining 





PROFESSOR A. A. 



HEXRY KINSEY BROIVX 123 

help from men of wealth, and several times it was reported 
that the Brown estate were about to sell the University to 
different sectarian organizations. Considerable advantage had 
been secured by the presence of men taking the training offered 
by the Federal Board, and some of the older faculty members 
thought it might be possible that Mr. Brown was negotiating 
with the government to increase the number of these men. 
But nothing definite was known except that the institution 
was on the verge of bankruptcy and that a change would be 
made in the near future or that the institution would soon 
be compelled to close its doors. The students became alarmed 
in respect to the recognition of their work by other schools, 
and many of the better members of the faculty began to make 
plans to withdraw, for it was evident that this careless regard 
for the educational functions and this extravagant business 
mismanagement would soon bring the school to ruin. Still the 
faculty, the students, and the alumni were unable to learn 
anj'thing regarding ^Ir. Brown's plans for the disposal of the 
University. Vague statements about help from different men 
of wealth and plans of re-organization was the only reply 
which they could get when they approached him upon the 
subject, 

Mr. Brown failed to interest men of wealth in the Uni- 
versity under its present management. He had also been 
unsuccessful in making a satisfactory sale of the property. 
The indebtedness had been increased more than $125,000 since 
the resignation of Mr. Kinsey, and Mr. Brown had involved 
himself in an unfortunate and unnecessary quarrel with the 
alumni. The teachers and students had lost faith and con- 
fidence in his leadership and in the future of the University. 
There was only one thing that he could do if he wished to 
see the institution maintained as a monument to his father. 
It was evident that if something was not done soon the prop- 
erty would be almost a total financial loss. The first en- 
couragement which the students and faculty received was that 
President Brown, recognizing his inability to successfully 
administer the affairs of the University, had secured the 
services of an able educator who would soon arrive in Val- 
paraiso and proceed to re-organize the institution and intro- 



124 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

duce a system of efficient management which would soon put 
it upon a solid business and financial basis. 

During the summer term Daniel Russel Hodgdon, Presi- 
dent of Hahnemann Medical College, who had delivered a 
short address to the students in the early winter, and on whom 
President Brown had conferred an honorary degree at the 
regular commencement exercises, was announced as dean of 
the faculty. He was introduced as an educator of eminence, 
as an efficiency expert who had placed several institutions upon 
a solid basis, and as the man whom Mr. Brown had selected 
to re-organize the educational and business management of 
Valparaiso University. 

It was now learned that Mr. Brown was making arrange- 
ments to turn the University over to a board of trustees, but 
nothing definite was made public at this time. i\Ir. Hodgdon 
made an occasional visit to Valparaiso, appearing before the 
student body in chapel and speaking at the meetings of the 
faculty. Though he had been introduced by Henry K. Brown 
as one of the foremost educators and efficiency experts in the 
country, there was nothing in his appearance or actions which 
would indicate that he was an>'thing more than a regular 
inhabitant of the realms of mediocrity. The first time that 
he spoke to the teachers and instructors of the University he 
antagonized practically all of them by his lack of tact, his 
haughty and self-important attitude, and his total ignorance 
of the local situation. But the teachers on the faculty of 
Valparaiso were willing to overlook a matter so unimportant 
and give Mr. Hodgdon a fair chance to show his ability as 
an organizer and efficiency expert. 

In the latter part of Julj', 1920, official announcement was 
made of the new organization under the Board of Trustees, 
the Executive Committee which consisted of three prominent 
business men of Porter County, all peculiarly interested in the 
perpetuation and welfare of Valparaiso University. At the 
first regular meeting of the Board of Trustees Mr. Charles 
Jeffreys, President of the Farmers State Bank of Valparaiso, 
was elected President of the Board and Executive Committee. 
Mr, j\Iaurice R. Lowenstine, well known merchant and busi- 
ness man, was elected Secretar}^ and ^Ir. George F. Beach, 



HENRY KINSEY BROWN 125 

also a prominent business man and proprietor of the Beach 
jewelry store, was elected Treasurer. Henry K. Brown ten- 
dered his resignation as President of Valparaiso University. 
Mr. Frank E. Morton, a close friend of Mr. Hodgdon, who 
had also received an honorary degree from Henry K. Brown, 
now one of the trustees, pressed the trustees to employ Daniel 
R. Hodgdon as President, a position which was strongly sup- 
ported by Mr. Brown. Hodgdon was already at the head of 
the institution by appointment of Henry K. Brown, and the 
University had not yet been completely transferred into the 
hands of the Board, so there was only one thing which they 
could do for the time being, and that was to elect Mr. Hodg- 
don President of Valparaiso University. It is only fair to 
the trustees, all of whom are men of good business judgment, 
to say that they did not really select Mr. Hodgdon as President ; 
they inherited him with the school and were powerless to 
exercise their own judgment until the complete legal transfer 
of the institution should be consummated. 

At the same time that Mr. Hodgdon was elected President, 
Henry K. Brown was chosen bursar and business manager 
of the University. The plan was to raise among the people 
of the city and the alumni of the institution $1,000,000, 
$150,000 of which was to be given to the Brown estate for 
their interests, and the remainder to be used for an endow- 
ment. Arrangements were also made to give Mrs. Henry 
Baker Brown an annuity of $5,000. When these conditions 
should be supplied the Brown family would no longer have 
any official connection with the University. They had come 
to realize that it would be impossible to interest the alumni 
and business men in the institution so long as it should remain 
a private corporation operated for profit. Many prominent 
business men of the city openly declared that they would 
have nothing to do with the school so long as the Browns 
had any voice in its administration, even though they had 
severed all financial connection with the institution. Some of 
this severe criticism may have been justifiable, but it is likely 
that many of the people misunderstood the real circumstances 
and condemned Henry K. Brown without knowing why. 



CHAPTER VIII 
The Crisis 

THE history of the following year at \'alparaiso Uni- 
versity is a story of continual and repeated failure, 
misfortune, and disappointment. It was inevitable that 
a man of ^Ir. Hodgdon's type should lose the confidence 
of those whose goodwill he was most solicitous of ob- 
taining. His career as President of Valparaiso University 
was a series of extravagant dreams and nonsensical and 
preposterous blunders. His impractical theories of edu- 
cation, his extreme personal vanity and fantastic self- 
conceit, his natural inaptitude to meet critical situations, 
and his wasteful and inefficient business management, all 
excited the ridicule and disgust of the public and insured 
his ultimate failure. But the University had not yet been 
completely transferred to the Board of Trustees, and Mr. 
Hodgdon was Henry K. Brown's own selection. During 
this period of transition and re-organization, \vhile every 
activit\- of the institution — social, educational, and financial — 
was being remolded and revised, it was essential that the 
Universit}' be under the guidance of expert and experi- 
enced leadership. The task would have been long and 
arduous for a man well versed in the needs and de- 
ficiencies of the school, but for a man so eminently and 
notoriously unfitted for the work it was impossible. Fair- 
ness and justice demand that I impress upon the reader 
the fact that Mr. Hodgdon was not the choice of the 
Board of Trustees, but merely the selection of the Brown 
family. We should not blame Mr. Hodgdon for assum- 
ing the presidency of Valparaiso Universit}-; neither 
should we blame Mr. Brown for selecting him, for Mr. 
Brown has no qualifications for such work as selecting 
university presidents, Let us be satisfied to know how 

126 



THE CRISIS 9 127 

it happened and then forget the past and look forward 
to the future. 

Under the leadership of Mr. Hodgdon nearly ever}^ 
principle of the institution was reversed. The old spirit 
of economy, opportunitx^ and democracy was bartered 
for fraternities, dances, parades, mass meetings, athletic 
demonstrations, and holidays. The cost of living was 
unnecessarily increased, the already large indebtedness 
greatly augmented, and superficial innovations were intro- 
duced, which tended to the destruction of the old at- 
mosphere of economic democracy, w^hile the intellectual 
and educational activities of the institution were grossly 
neglected. Mr. Hodgdon's naive manner of dealing with 
various situations and problems, his imprudent participa- 
tion in student affairs, and his initiation into an already 
unpopular fraternity, destroyed his standing and prestige 
among the students and teachers, leaving him without any 
support except that of a small circle who profited by his 
system of favoritism, which extended through the faculty 
and student body. There were very few in Valparaiso 
who positively disl-iked Mr. Hodgdon. The general feel- 
ing among the students w^as one of pity for the man and 
regret for the institution. The result of these deplorable 
conditions w^as a deeper faith in the old principles and 
disgust for the vain conceits of the new regime. Since 
the close of the war the proportion of old students who 
had been familiar with the traditional policies of the Uni- 
versity rapidly increased each term. By the end of the 
winter term the old students were in a large majority, 
and it was obvious that they would not permit this con- 
dition to continue without a fight. 

Early in the summer term, preceding the election of 
Mr. Hodgdon as president, Mr, Oscar Williams, state 
inspector of Indiana, visited Valparaiso University in 
order to prepare a report of the conditions for the State 
Board of Education. One of Mr. Williams' chief com- 
plaints was that there was no apparent responsible head 
of the institution, with whom members of the faculty or 
representatives of the State Board of Education could 



128 ^TORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

confer. When Henry Kmsey Brown learned of this 
report he was very bitter toward .Mr. \\"illiams, who was 
only doing his duty as state inspector, and was in no way 
responsible for the conditions created b}^ the poor ad- 
ministration of Valparaiso Universit3^ He immediately 
wrote a letter to Mr. Williams, attempting to intimidate 
him from submitting the proposed report of conditions 
at Valparaiso. Copies of this letter were sent to different 
prominent men of the state. The result was a great deal 
of unfavorable publicity which tended to bring the in- 
stitution in bad repute before the public. The nature of 
the letter may be gathered from this one sentence: "I 
am going to hold you personally responsible for the sub- 
mitting of your report to the State Board together with 
any action that Board may take; and if this report is 
submitted and we are removed from the list of accredited 
institutions of the state of Indiana, then I promise 3'ou 
that I will inject Valparaiso Universit}" into the political 
campaign this fall and I pledge j'ou that I will use every 
bit of strength I have and every dollar I possess in 
waging an educational war that will shake this old state 
from one end to the other." 

Meanwhile Mr. Hodgdon had become engaged in an 
altercation with Professor Xeet, Dean of the Department 
of Education, and Mr. Anderson, Registrar of the Uni- 
versity. These two men refused to give their sanction 
to the graduation of a student who had forged credits in 
another institution until the student should apologize to 
both universities and take the work which had been faked. 
Mr. Hodgdon was indignant to think that they would 
take any such stand, and emphatically took a stand in 
favor of permitting the student to graduate, using the 
forged credits. Mr. Xeet and Mr. Anderson, too honest 
and self-respecting to be party to any such arrangeraent, 
both resigned their positions in the University. Just 
what Mr. Hodgdon's object was is difficult to understand. 
The affair was so evidently a direct violation of profes- 
sional ethics and an injustice to other students, that many 
previous supporters now lost confidence. 



THE CRISIS 129 

Mr. Keogan remained as director of athletics and se- 
cured both Notre Dame and Harvard on the football 
schedule, besides several other colleges of repute in the 
athletic world. Mr. Hodgdon secured the services of 
several excellent teachers to fill the vacancies in the 
faculty, a fact which revived considerable confidence in 
the new president, inasmuch as it was thought that he 
might have the capacity to select able and trustworthy 
men and womlen to serve on the faculty. Among these 
new teachers were Prof. G. J. Borst, succeeding Mr. Neet 
as Dean of the Educational Department; H. C. Muldoon, 
succeeding Mr. Wisner as head of the Pharmacy De- 
partment; Ephraim Eisenberg, Ross Winship, Frank W. 
Morgan, Wilson Carleton, and several others. Professor 
Moreland, after spending the summer in the East, re- 
turned as Registrar. Miss Emma Samuel, an excellent 
teacher, succeeded Mrs. Bolinger as Dean of the School 
of Home Economics. The announcement of these appoint- 
ments, combined with the fair attendance of the fall 
term, and the plans for the endowment campaign led 
many to believe that Mr. Hodgdon would be successful in 
spite of his many disqualifications. The result was a 
repetition of the confidence and spirit of the preceding 
year at the beginning of the fall term. 

But this air of confidence in Hodgdon and faith in 
the principles which he advocated was no more lasting 
than the confidence placed in Mr. Brown the previous 
year. One of the first causes of this antagonism on the 
part of the students, especially the older students, was 
the system of favoritism which Mr. Hodgdon established 
with which to control the spirit and opinion of the student 
body. It became almost a crime to speak of the old 
regime, the days when Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey were 
at the head of the University. The coach, the athletic 
manager, the editor of the Torch, the dean of men, the 
dean of women, the director of publications, all were out 
of sympathy with, the fundamental principles of the 
institution. By the chapel programs, by the mass meet- 
ings, by a series of grand-stand demonstrations, and by 
9 



130 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

a constant stream of propaganda through the columns 
of the Torch, Mr. Hodgdon and his circle of favorites 
endeavored to suppress the old feeling of democracy and 
introduce in its place Mr. Hodgdon's ideas of the great 
industrial school, which was going to be built on the 
lands surrounding Sager's Lake. Promotion and favors 
for the flatterer, and elimination from office for the 
honest men and women, was the result of his system. 

The first opportunity that the students had of show- 
ing their position upon social activities came during the 
Pierce Campaign. It was left to the student body as a 
whole to choose a man as President of the Students' 
Council. Those opposed to the principles of the old 
school supported Lawrence Elliott, commonly known as 
Dad Elliott, an old student, who had taken an active 
part in social activities, and who was very popular. Of 
course, there were many who supported Mr. Elliott as a 
friend, but the greater proportion of his supporters were 
those in favor of Hodgdon and his favoritism. A group 
of old students, seeing their opportunity to make a cam- 
paign of issues, selected Jack Pierce as their candidate. 
He was also an old student, of high moral character, 
standing high in scholarship, and practically unknown in 
student politics. The campaign was one of the most 
intense battles ever fought in the iiistory of the school. 
The issues of scholarship, fair play, and the traditional 
policies of economy, hard work, and democracy, were 
clearly drawn between the two forces. Mr. Hodgdon 
became alarmed and addressed several classes, condemn- 
ing the Pierce supporters. When election day came he 
went to the poles and voted for Elliott. But Mr. Pierce 
w^on by an overwhelming majority, a fact which changed 
the whole course of the institution. From this time on 
Mr. Hodgdon was more cautious in his attitude towards 
the traditional principles of the University, though he 
was more opposed to them than ever. 

A short time after the Pierce Campaign, in which I 
had taken a prominent part, and consequently was out 
of favor with Mr. Hodgdon, I became editor of the Valoon. 



THE CRISIS 131 

This little publication was originally edited by Frank 
Thomas, formerly editor of the Torch. Its purpose was 
to deal exclusively with the humorous side of college life, 
but when I became editor of it I took the opportunity to 
uphold the principles of the institution, especially in 
respect to student activities. Mr. Jeffreys, President of 
the Board of Trustees, objected to certain -jokes in the 
first issue which I published upon the grounds of vul- 
garity. Mr. Hodgdon took this opportunity to have the 
paper suppressed, but was afraid to order it stopped until 
he was sure of the support of a majority of the student 
body. While the fight was going on, one morning I re- 
ceived the following note from the college office: 

January 11, 1921. 
Mr. George Stimpson, 
255 Greenwich St., 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Mr. Stimpson: 

The President of the University is giving a dinner to a group of 
students on Wednesday evening, January 12th. 

You are cordially invited to attend the dinner and meet the President 
at the University office promptly at 5:30 p. m. 

Cordially and sincerely yours, 

Dorothy Nigrum, 

Secretary to the President. 

Before the day was over I learned that six others had 
received similar invitations to the dinner party. Those 
who attended were Jack Pierce, Frank Thomas, L. C 
Holland, Peyton BerbHng,Eroy Williams, E. H. McBride, 
and myself. The purpose of this meeting was to bring 
together all those who were dissatisfied with conditions 
to talk over their ideas with the President. Mr. Hodgdon 
thought that by this means he could keep us from taking 
active measures to retain the old spirit of democracy in 
opposition to his notions of social life and college spirit. 
It was at this meeting that he called us bolsheviks. We 
had been in the habit of calling one another bolsheviks 
during the Pierce Campaign, but this was the first time 
that Mr. Hodgdon had so designated those who did not 
agree with him. Mr. Berbling objected to the appellation, 



132 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

when the President explained that he employed it only in 
fun. Nothing definite was done at this dinner party, 
except Mr. Hodgdon told us that he had constituted us 
the President's Council, and that he wanted us to meet 
with him every two weeks. He thought that this was the 
best way to come to an understanding with the students. 
Little was said about the recent trouble concerning the 
Valoon, and since the endowment campaign was just 
about to be launched, we thought it better not to cause 
any more agitation about the old principles for the time 
being. Several issues of the paper came out after this 
affair. The dinner party was held only once more after 
this. 

About the middle of January Mr. Brown resigned as 
Bursar of the University. His resignation was as fol- 
lows: 

January 1, 1921. 
Board of Trustees, 

Valparaiso University. 
Gentlemen: 

Owing to important business which will soon require my undivided 
time and thought, I am impelled to ask that you release me from further 
active association with the University, and I hereby tender my resignation 
as Bursar of Valparaiso University, to become effective just as soon as 
you can relieve me from the duties connected with that office. 

Until such time as my successor shall have been appointed it is my 
privilege and wish that you accept such services as I may be able to 
render at no cost whatever to the University nor to anyone connected 
with it. 

I desire to express my appreciation of the splendid spirit which has 
prompted each of you in. accepting their responsibility of the University's 
future and beg to assure you that notwithstanding the fact that neither 
myself nor any member of my family has any further financial interest 
in any of the property of the school or voice in its management, we 
shall at all times hold ourselves in readiness to render any assistance 
possible to the end that the institution founded by my father and to the 
advancement of which both he and Mr. Kinsey dedicated and devoted 
their lives, may be permanently established and its helpfulness preserved. 

Sincerely your friend, 

Henry Kinsey Brown. 

During the fall Mr. Frank Converse came to Valpa- 
raiso to take charge of the campaign for a million dollars, 
and he immediately set to work to organize the alumni 



THE CRISIS 133 

and make preparations for the final drive in February. 
But this work met with little success. Mr. Converse did 
not understand the class of people with whom he was 
dealing, and the literature that he sent out met with a 
storm of disapproval from every quarter. The business 
men were still in doubt about the re-organization. They 
had been misled so many times in the last two years 
regarding the status of the University that many of them 
refused to believe that the Brown family had released 
their property rights in the institution. They did not 
like Hodgdon, they were suspicious of Henry K. Brown, 
and they were outraged by the cheap methods used by 
Mr. Converse. But they did have confidence in the sin- 
cerity and honesty of the Board of Trustees, which was 
composed of successful business men of the city, and 
they were willing to contribute to the University so long 
as they were sure that the endowment campaign was con- 
ducted in an honest, business-like manner purely for the 
interests of the school, which they were all desirous of 
seeing prosper. It was the confidence placed in the 
Board of Trustees that finally aroused the enthusiasm 
necessary to advertise the campaign properly and make 
possible the banquet held at East Hall. 

"In point of attendance, enthusiasm, surprise features 
and satisfactory results, and as a culinary and financial 
success, the Million Dollar Campaign Community Ban- 
quet, held in East Hall, was by far the greatest event 
of its kind in the history of Porter County, opening the 
local ten-day drive in a splendidly effective and irresistible 
manner and presaging the complete triumph in the first 
battle of the campaign to raise an endowment fund of 
$1,000,000 for Valparaiso University." More than $100,000 
was subscribed at this banquet by the students, members 
of the faculty, and by the business men of the city. Mr. 
Hodgdon received a great burst of applause when he an- 
nounced that the trustees had secured an option upon the 
lands lying around Sager's Lake, upon which the greater 
Valparaiso University would be built. Mr. Henry K. 
Brown, in the name of the Brown family, announced that 



134 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

they had withdrawn their rights of $150,000, and that they 
had given the University to the public without any 
strings attached to it. The trustees accepted the offer 
with the exception of the part pertaining to the annuity 
to be received by Mrs. Brown. The greatest applause of 
all came when John Roessler, the toastmaster of the 
occasion, introduced Mr. Charles Jeffreys, President of 
the Board of Trustees, who read the following telegram: 

St. Petersburg, Fla., January 25, 1921. 
Charles Jeeerey, 

President of Board of Trustees, 

Valparaiso University. 
Your statement of plan received. I heartily approve it; it ought not, 
must' not, will not fail. Deeply regret cannot attend endowment opening 
Monday night; nearing 72, not ill; but not strong enough to risk the 
extreme climatic change, although the appreciation of thousands of 
.students, the unswerving sacrificing loyalty of the faculty, the always 
great confidence of the citizens of Valparaiso, make it justly due them 
all that I come if it were possible. Hope all friends of the University 
everywhere will unitedly rally to its support in this campaign. This will 
make splendid start. Money always begets more money, then success. 
I know of no other way to insure its perpetuity. Mrs. Kinsey joins in 
greetings, well wishes, and fullest confidence in your complete success. 

Oliver P. Kinsey. 

The old grudges, misunderstandings, and Mr. Hodg- 
don's weaknesses were all forgotten now. The following 
morning a mass meeting was held to do honor to the 
Brown family, who had just made the public a gift of 
Valparaiso University. The students, accompanied by 
many members of the faculty, marched in a body to the 
home of the Browns and gave them one of the greatest 
ovations ever given any family in Valparaiso. It never 
occurred to anyone now that the endowment campaign 
could fail. Those who down in their hearts saw the 
sham and vanity of it all, dared not object because they 
thought that they were the only ones, and they would 
have been stamped as disloyal to the University and the 
city of Valparaiso. Added to this spirit of the endow- 
ment campaign was much elation over the successful 
season of the football, basketball, and debating teams. 
There was only one thing which did not seem right. 



THE CRISIS 135 

Aside from the telegram sent to Mr. Jeffreys no word was 
heard from Mr, Kinsey. Mr. Kinsey had never spoken in 
chapel, had never been seen on the campus, and had 
seldom been mentioned in the Torch since he had resigned 
in the spring of 1919. Why Mr. Kinsey refused to take 
part in the endowment campaign was hard for the older 
citizens and students to understand. The natural infer- 
ence was that there must be something which still made 
it impossible for him to sanction the affair in any definite 
and concrete way. His influence in the campaign would 
have insured its success, and the absence of his influence 
would make it difficult, especially among the alumni, who 
would naturally notice the absence of Mr. Kinsey in the 
campaign. 

But this confidence, like all confidence based upon 
hope, and not facts, was short-lived. Hodgdon's personal 
vanity and extravagant and impractical business manage- 
ment, Mr. Converse's cheap methods in conducting the 
campaign, and the complete subversion of all the old 
principles and traditional policies of the institution, com- 
bined with a latent suspicion that the Brown family still 
retained a hold upon the disposal of the University, 
gradually weakened this confidence, which reached its 
height at the endowment banquet. Mr. Converse an- 
nounced several times that the million dollars was practi- 
cally raised, and when it was learned that only a small 
part of it had been even subscribed, discouragement with 
the whole affair took the place of the former faith. But 
Mr. Hodgdon continually assured the trustees that he 
would be able to interest men of wealth in the school and 
that before many weeks should pass he would raise several 
million. But nothing was done educationally, socially, or 
financially, to provide for the future of the institution if 
the campaign should fail, which was now certain, and if 
Mr. Hodgdon should not be able to get money from men 
of wealth. 

The following paragraph is taken from a recent cir- 
cular to the alumni and public in general and published 
by the Board of Trustees in behalf of the interests of the 



136 STORY OF VALPARAISO UXIVERSITY 

institution: "We wish we could pass over in silence the 
next unpleasant episode, but it seems impossible to make 
the situation clear without reference to the unfortunate 
selection of a new President, a man untrained in the 
traditions of the school, apparently unable to comprehend 
them, and entirely out of sympathy with most of the 
facult}' and student body. Under his administration, the 
second endowment campaign was expensively misman- 
aged, and the results, while not entirely negative, were 
disappointing. Perhaps the new executive's greatest ad- 
ministrative failing was an inability to understand the 
limitations of an unendowed institution. At the very 
time when he should have been most economical he 
plunged into extravagances, legitimate in themselves, but 
costly for us." 

Mr. Hodgdon had failed in the very work in which 
he claimed to be a specialist, the endowment campaign 
had been unsuccessful, recognition of the school's educa- 
tional departments was suffering in the collegiate world, 
and all confidence had been destroyed in the athletics 
and social system which Hodgdon had established. To 
anyone at all familiar with conditions at Valparaiso Uni- 
versity, it was obvious that if something was not done 
immediately to save an impossible situation, there would 
be no attendance the following year and the institution 
would be bankrupt. Conditions were deplorable. The 
student body had no respect for the President, the faculty 
could not honestly recommend the school under its man- 
agement, and the students openly everywhere declared 
their intention to withdraw and return no more if Mr. 
Hodgdon remained as President. There was a small fac- 
tion, consisting of Mr. Hodgdon's fraternity brothers and 
others who had benefited by his favors, which supported 
Mr. Hodgdon in everything he did, regardless of its cost 
to the University and its reputation. It was at this time 
that a number of teachers and old students began to de- 
mand the resignation of Mr. Hodgdon, thinking that it 
was the only hope to save the institution. On the 31st 
day of March of this year I called upon Mr. Lowenstine, 



THE CRISIS 137 

Secretary of the Board of Trustees, and called his atten- 
tion to the critical financial and social condition and asked 
him to permit me to bring the matter up before the next 
session of the board. At the same time I presented him 
with the following letter: 

March 31, 1921. 
Board op Trustees, 

Valparaiso University, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Gentlemen: 

Since the President of Valparaiso University has always treated me 
with favor and since I have always enjoyed recognition which it is not 
likely that I should have enjoyed under any other administration, I am 
loath to advance any arguments which might tend to shake public con- 
fidence and which would in any way detract from his earnest efforts to 
reorganize the institution. 

Any criticism which has its origin in malice or which grows out of 
small and insignificant misunderstandings should not be given a hearing, 
A Board of the dignity of the Board of Trustees of Valparaiso University 
can not stoop to give ai hearing to mere gossip or to what obviously has 
its beginning in jealousy or personal grudges. 

There are always many who cannot bear to see a man succeed where 
he is likely to receive credit and honor for his services. To offer de- 
structive criticism is one of the easiest things in the world. To tear 
down what another is doing or has done is competent for the most inex- 
perienced. It is natural for the public to be impatient with resgect to 
an undertaking such as that which Dr, Hodgdon is now engaged in. It 
is hard for them to appreciate the fact that the Board of Trustees must 
place a man at the head of the institution, and that after having done so, 
they must allow the President to use his own judgment in all the details 
of the administration. 

In preparing my criticism and in offering my suggestions I have 
constantly borne these circumstances in mind. Nor have I forgotten 
that no two men ever handle the same business in the same manner or 
under the same system. Besides every institution is continually going 
through changes; state statutes and rulings of the State Board make 
revisions necessary; and public demand and necessity make different 
systems more desirable. The public is fickle and its notions regarding an 
institution are often based upon current gossip and its arguments are 
frequently destitute of foundation. All these things must of necessity 
be taken into consideration if we are to arrive at a sound and just con- 
clusion in respect to the problem of Valparaiso University. It is of no 
importance what any one person, or what any limited number of people 
may think of the administration of the University. The only value these 
opinions of the public have is determined after they have been classified 
and after the causes have been shown to have natural and inherent ten- 
dencies to continue to produce the same results. If a few persons are 



138 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

offended by a certain act or course of proceeding it may be overlooked, 
but if hundreds who are vitally concerned are offended, it is important 
that the cause be determined and if possible removed. 

It is always better to pursue a conservative course in a matter such 
as the one before us and to proceed with due caution and deliberate 
consideration. A change should never be made without a reasonable 
demand and it is with this attitude of mind that I maintain that it is time 
to make a change in the administration of Valparaiso University if this 
great institution is to continue to function upon the principles on which 
it was founded. 

Respectfully, 

George W. Stimpson. 

A short time later I asked several old students to meet 
me at my room and aid me in preparing the evidence 
which had convinced us that Mr. Hodgdon should be 
asked to resign. We had no intention of taking the 
matter up with the general student body at that time. We 
realized that the time had come when someone must act 
if Valparaiso University was to be saved to future gen- 
erations. Among the students who met at my room were 
Jack Pierce, President of the Students' Council, Frank 
Thomas, now instructor in Italian and editor of the Uni- 
versity Record, Ivar Swenson, who was engaged in an 
investigation of Mr. Hodgdon's past record, and Clifton 
Edwin Van Sickle, who had won distinction on the debat- 
ing team. We decided upon no definite policy except that 
I was to prepare the evidence to be presented to the Board 
of Trustees. The following evening part of this group 
met again at my room for further discussion of the situa- 
tion, this time deciding that I, as editor of the Valoon, 
should prepare an article, giving all the circumstances of 
the condition of the University, to be published when I 
should see fit. The following is the introduction to my 
accumulation of facts, which, because of later develop- 
ments, never was received by the Board of Trustees: 

April 2, 1921. 
The Board of Trustees, 

Valparaiso University. 
Gentlemen : 

I have been asked by Mr. Maurice Lowenstine to put in writing cer- 
tain things which I discussed with him regarding the University. My 



THE CRISIS 139 

position, and I sincerely believe it is the position of nearly the entire 
student body, is that Valparaiso University will soon be ruined if con- 
fidence and hope is not revived immediately. I base my argument upon 
the fact that confidence in Valparaiso University has been destroyed and 
I maintain that it can be revived only by putting a strong man at its head 
as soon as possible. Almost the entire student body is making prepara- 
tions to change schools next year. It is reported upon fairly good 
authority that over twenty of the senior class have pledged themselves 
that they will not accept a diploma from Valparaiso with Dr. Hodgdon's 
signature on it. These students have spent four years of precious time 
and thousands of dollars of hard earned money to get their degrees and 
now that they have finished their work they would rather not get a 
diploma at all than have one signed by a man whom they think will 
soon fall. The reason for this loss of confidence 1 will set forth as 
best I have gathered it from the students of the University. 

The first objection is that Dr. Hodgdon is parading before the public 
three or four high degrees which are considered by the student body 
to be false. They consider this to be a violation of professional ethics, 
or to put it in their own words, they call it professional dishonesty. 1 
have the evidence which has convinced -the students and faculty of this 
fact and will produce it if it is desired. 

He continually offends the students by his lack of everyday business 
courtesy. He has no personality and destroys confidence among the 
students upon first meeting. 

Dr. Hodgdon has an antagonistic attitude to the old democracy and 
spirit of Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey. 

He takes great pride in aping the great eastern universities in the 
frivolous customs and makes no effort to adopt the better part of those 
institutions. 

I shall be glad to produce and lay before the Board of Trustees the 
evidence which will, I am sure, convince anyone who is open to con- 
viction, that these statements are true. 

Hoping to be able to contribute something to the salvation of the 
institution which gave me so much and which I hold so dear, I am 

Sincerely yours, 

George W. Stimpson. 



Meanwhile we called upon nearly every prominent and 
influential member of the faculty, calling their attention 
to the seriousness of the situation, and consulting their 
advice as to what course to take. Practically all of them 
agreed that something must be done at once if the insti- 
tution was to be saved. This would be the last oppor- 
tunity to save Valparaiso University with her spirit and 
traditions intact; it would be the last time that these old 
students and these old teachers, grown old in the service 



140 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

of Mr. Brown and Mr. Kinsey, would have an opportunity 
to contribute something to the old school. We called 
their attention to the depressed and discontented feeling 
among the student body, the fact that this would be the 
last time that the old students would be in the majority, 
what it would mean to have these students go home in a 
few weeks in this mood respecting the future of Valpa- 
raiso, and finally, we impressed upon them the fact that 
the school was practically bankrupt, the endowment had 
failed, and no provisions were being made for the next 
term. Many of the teachers, agreeing that it was not the 
place of students, promised to call upon the trustees in- 
dividually and impress upon them the need of an imme- 
diate change in administration. Sometime previously I 
had spoken to Mr. Pierce regarding the passing of a 
resolution by the student council. We decided to do this 
now in order to show the Board of Trustees how uni- 
versal the lack of confidence in the President was. It 
fell to me to write the resolution, which was passed 
unanimously upon the date stated, and is as follows: 

Whereas, Valparaiso University is an institution founded upon prin- 
ciples and traditions which differ vitally from all other institutions, and 
its life and existence depends upon a strict observance of these principles 
and traditions; and 

Whereas, Daniel Russel Hodgdon, now President of Valparaiso Uni- 
versity, has demonstrated himself incompetent to carry out the funda- 
mental purpose of this school; and 

Whereas, he has continually violated these principles, and in so doing 
has offended grievously the faculty, the alumni, and the student body, 
and many of the citizens of Valparaiso, to such an extent that co-opera- 
tion and harmony are no longer possible; and 

Whereas, because of the aforementioned circumstances, Daniel Rus- 
sel Hodgdon stands in the way of the success of the institution, retards 
the campaign for the endowment by impertinent philosophies which are 
diametrically opposed to the spirit and traditions of this institution, is 
causing hundreds of our faithful students to seek elsewhere for education, 
and in many other ways is stifling the progress of the institution; and 

Whereas, we believe that Valparaiso University can be saved to 
Valparaiso and the world, with her fundamental principles intact, if a 
man who understands the institution, its faculty, its alumni, its students, 
and its spirit and traditions, were to direct it through this present 
crisis; and 

Whereas, the only way that this can be accomplished is by restoring 



THE CRISIS 141 

confidence in the faculty, the student body, and the alumni, and this 
as soon as possible; and 

Whereas, confidence cannot be restored so long as Daniel Russel 
Hodgdon shall continue to be President of Valparaiso University; there- 
fore, in order to save this great institution, 

Be It Resolved, that the Student Council, deriving its powers frorn 
the student body through popular elections, representing the students by 
departments and schools of the University, in special convocation assem- 
bled, upon this 4th day of April, 1921, request the immediate resignation 
of Daniel Russel Hodgdon as President of Valparaiso University; and 
further, 

Be It Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be given to Daniel 
Russel Hodgdon, and also that a copy of the same resolution be given to 
the Board of Trustees of Valparaiso University. 
Signed 

Jack Pierce, Ruth M. Ferris, 

President of Student Council. Department of Education. 

Beatrice Morse, Katherine Carver, 

Department of Home Economics. Faculty Member. 
George F. Barr, IvAurence Z. Morse, 

Department of Law. Department of Applied Sciences. 

Claude C. Shortz, 

Department of Commerce. 

Mr. Pierce was largely responsible for the successful 
passing of this resolution. Our intention was to keep 
this transaction secret except to those already informed of 
the matter. But before the next morning it was general 
knowledge, and by noon the whole school was on the 
verge of revolution. Mr. Pierce received this communi- 
cation the following day: 

April 5, 1921. 
To the President of t'he Student Council: 

The Student Council is requested to meet with the members of the 
University Cabinet this afternoon at four o'clock, in West Commercial 
Hall. 

Please notify all members of the Student Council to let nothing 
whatever interfere with their attendance at this meeting. 

Dean Charles C. Brown, 

Chairman. 

We did not expect to get any justice from the Council 
of Deans, the governing body of University affairs, which 
was in no way representative of the sentiment of the 
institution, inasmuch as Mr. Hodgdon had made enough 
new appointments to control the council. After two long 

10 



142 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

sessions, taking up the greater part of the afternoon and 
evening of the oth of April, the Council of Deans went 
into executive session and dissolved the Students' Council. 
During the evening, while the council was before the 
deans, a group of students gathered around Commercial 
Hall, where the trial was being held, and began to give 
yells for Jack Pierce and the Students' Council. This 
aroused the ire of those supporting Mr, Hodgdon, and 
opposed to the majority of the student body. Under the 
leadership of Dandelet, Hooper, Temple, McClenan, Eng- 
strom, Langevin, and manj- other Hodgdonites, thej- gathered 
in a bod}- and made a raid on the crowd gathered around 
Commercial Hall. The lack of organization and the desire 
to refrain from violence on the part of the student body 
was the only thing which prevented the two factions 
from engaging in battle. Not caring to get mj- head 
cracked, and having other duties of more importance to 
perform, I quietly withdrew and made preparations to 
meet the trustees the following day. Messrs. Dandelet, 
Engstrom and McClenan went to the house of Frank 
Thomas and grossly insulted him and his wife. Mi. 
Thomas immediately filed suit against these men for riot- 
ing. The same day Mr. Moreland, the Registrar, received 
the following letter: 

April 5, 1921. 
Registr.\r T. W. Moreland, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Mr. Moreland: 

Inasmuch as I have this day received a petition signed by students 
of this University requesting the expulsion of Mr. Tack Pierce, Mr. 
George W. Stimpson, and Mr. Frank Thomas, I hereby instruct you, 
pending the action of the University authorities, to issue to none of 
the above named men a statement of their work in this University. 

Very truly, 

D. R. HOBGDON. 

The next morning, April 6, Mr, Hodgdon told his 
supporters that so far as the administration and the 
authorities of the University were concerned the day was 
theirs to do with as they should see fit. A gang of thugs, 
the greater part of them hired athletes and members of 



THE CRISIS 143 

the Kappa Iota Pi and Eta Beta Pi fraternities, gathered 
before the Rainbow Restaurant, and sent three or four 
of the group, husky athletes, under the leadership of 
Dandelet, football star, to seize me, at the time eating 
my breakfast in the cafeteria at East Hall. I was in- 
sultingly taken through the streets, passing the college 
office, where Mr, Hodgdon stood with a broad smile, 
thinking that at last he had overcome the intriguers. The 
intention was to force Mr. Pierce and me to carry banners 
with the inscription, "I Am a Knocker, I Must Go," and 
such like, and then put us on a train out of town. While 
I was thus under false imprisonment, a group of my 
friends, largely composed of law students, always loyal 
to the members of the department, came upon the scene 
and .protected me while I left the crowd. The Hodg- 
donites overtook us near the law building, where there 
would undoubtedly have been one of the worst fights 
Valparaiso ever saw, had it not been that the officials of 
the city came up and dispersed the crowd. 

Meanwhile the chapel bell rang, and the Hodgdonites, 
foiled in their first attempt, endeavored to convince the 
students that we were only a few knockers and that the 
majority of opinion was against us. Several deans and 
students, all Hodgdon supporters, made speeches advo- 
cating the immediate expulsion of all opposed to Presi- 
dent Hodgdon, A few words, well expressed and driven 
home with great force, by Mr. L. C, Holland, President 
of the Valoon Board, brought the crowd, just on the 
verge of a riot, to their right senses. The audience re- 
tired without any further action. This farcical meeting 
under the management of the supporters of Hodgdon was 
used later by the Council of Deans as a proof that the 
majority of students were in whole-hearted sympathy 
with the President. Mr. Hodgdon did not remain to meet 
the situation, but left town in the morning to join Mr. 
Roessler, who a few days before had gone East — New 
York, Washington, Philadelphia, and other cities — in the 
interests of the endowment among the alumni. When 
he reached Fort Wayne on his way East, Mr. Hodgdon 



144 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

wrote the following letter to Mr. Pierce, which shows 
the state of despair and excitement he was in: 

Fort Wayne, Indiana, 

AprU 6, 1921. 
My Dear Jack: 

I am sorry I cannot see you and talk to you personally but I must 
work for Valpo even harder than I have in the past. Therefore, my 
friend, I am on my way for the necessary funds to keep our dear old 
institution going for the boys and girls. 

I know, Jack, my boy, you probably thought you were working for 
Valpo's interest, but don't you think I have been too? My heart has been 
and is in the work of making this institution one that can stand alone 
on its own feet. Probably you will realize that during the past five 
years Valpo has gone behind nearly two hundred thousand dollars, then 
just as dawn appears you have only put the whole proposition in such 
shape that months' of work must be done over and teachers must re- 
main on old salaries in place of the new salaries, larger and better, which 
I would have been able to provide. 

I pray God you may all see what harm you have thoughtlessly done 
to our good old institution and be willing to get behind and work in a 
big way. Jack. Not for any motive but that of seeing Valparaiso the 
greatest institution on earth. The past has gone, the future is before 
us. Your life and my life mean much to all our fellowmen. Let us be 
big, true, honest, and together serve the Master as Christ taught us we 
should serve. 

Your friend, 

D. R. HODGDON. 

On the same day Mr. Pierce, Mr. Thomas, and my- 
self were called before the Council of Deans. Charges 
of disloyalty and overstepping of constitutional authority 
respecting the resolution passed by the Students' Council 
were preferred against Mr. Pierce. But they dared not 
expel him because he was a member of the Federal 
Board, and the Trustees were at that time negotiating a 
contract with the government respecting the sending of 
a large number of these men to Valparaiso University. 
Mr. Thomas, no longer a student, was discharged as 
editor of the University Record. Without the semblance of 
a trial, I was summarily dismissed and expelled from 
Valparaiso University, upon charges of agitating against 
the administration and certain members of the faculty. 



THE CRISIS 145 

The following day the Council of Deans received this 
petition from the senior class: 

Council of Deans^ 

Valparaiso University, 
Gentlemen of the Deans' Council: 

In reference to your action of yesterday, in dismissing Mr. Thomas 
from his position on our Record, as editor thereof, it has come to our 
attention as Senior representatives of the several schools comprising 
the University, that such action threatens the failure of this year's 
Record, entailing a loss of large proportions to the publishers and, in 
addition, the Seniors feel a keen disappointment that their earnest efforts 
to make this publication a credit to our Alma Mater, has gone for 
naught. 

Mr. Thomas is willing to continue as editor providing he be placed 
in the same status, as regards the Record, as before his hearing of 
yesterday. 

Inasmuch as the work is partly printed, and the publishers are, 
even at this moment, awaiting Mr. Thomas' assistance, we the under- 
signed, courteously request his immediate reinstatement as Editor of the 
Record. 

(Signed) Guy O. Vaughn, 
Audrey Hutton, 
Brvce M. Rowland, 

KdISON ly. ElCHER, 

T. S. KiELY, 

Committee. 

The senior class received the following reply: 

April 7, 1921. 
To THE Members oe the Senior Class, 
Valparaiso University, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
In view of the statement of facts contained in your petition, per- 
mission is hereby granted Mr. Thomas to complete his work as Editor- 
in-Chief of the Record. 

Very sincerely yours. 

The President's Cabinet. 
Charles C. Brown, Emma Louise Samuel, 

W. O. Winkler, M. J. Bowman, Jr., 

G. J. Borst, M. L. Weems, 

Helen Kull, R. A. Tallcott, 

Hugh C. Muldoon, Catharine Corboy, 

J. W. Moreland, E. W. Chaffee, 

Ida A, Powell. 

When Mr. Hodgdon went East he told several of his 
friends that he would return with large sums of money, 



146 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

which had been promised him. Naturally many who did not 
know his traits and diplomacy were waiting in great suspense 
for his return. Meanwhile the Council of Deans received this 
petition from the faculty : 

April 12, 1921. 
We, the undersigned, members of the faculty of Valparaiso Univer- 
sity, do hereby respectfully petition the President's Cabinet to dismiss 
charges against Jack Fierce and to reinstate George W. Stimpson: 
(Signed) A. A. Williams (Signed) F. C. N. Hedebol 

Nettie D. Williams Bernice I. Plette 

Jennie Witmer Tallcott Elizabeth Reckenberg 

W. A. Hoffman Adalin Ward 

Evardo Azuola C. S. Hoover 

M. E. Zimmerman E. Eisenberg 

J. W. Moreland Adam P. Lesinsky 

J. M. Lien A. J. Walters 

Mrs. Benham - B. A. Howlett 

G. Stephan Mercy Lewis 

Frank W. Morgan Wm. D. Herrera 

Katherine E. Carver J. B. Agar 

Bula V. Beshears Belle Wood 

Mrs. Adelheid Belcheur D. K. Hubbard 

E. W. Chaffee J. Francis Maguire 

Guy O. Vaughn B. F. Williams 

Ross Winship Wilson Carleton 

R. T. Wycoff 

A brief time afterwards the Executive Committee of the 
Board of Trustees also received a petition from the faculty, 
signed by forty-four members, constituting a majority of the 
faculty, and the words of which were as follows : 

We, the undersigned, members of the faculty of Valparaiso Univer- 
sity, believing that for the best interests of the said University Dr. Daniel 
Russel Hodgdon should no longer be its President, do hereby respectfully 
petition that the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of said 
University ask him to resign immediately. 

In speaking of the President's Cabinet, I do not wish to be 
understood as meaning that all the members were opposed to 
the principles of the institution and in favor of permitting 
Mr. Hodgdon to complete the work of ruin and destruction 
in which he was engaged. Mr. Moreland, always popular 
with the students and a firm believer in the principles of Mr. 
Brown and Mr. Kinsey, Professor Tallcott, dean of the de- 



THE CRISIS 147 

partment of expression, Professor Chaffee, head of the Music 
School, and Helen Kull, besides others, were fully cognizant 
of the fact that if Mr. Hodgdon remained there would be no 
school the following year, 

Mr. Hodgdon was severely criticized for pretending to 
certain educational honors to which he was not entitled. 
When he first came to Valparaiso University he was intro- 
duced by Henry K. Brown as the President of a Medical 
College, who held no degree in medicine. At the time of the 
endowment banquet at East Hall, some of the faculty and 
students were surprised to see his name published with the 
degree of Doctor of Medicine. This, of course, was of no 
special significance, except that it detracted from his dignity 
as President of the University, inasmuch as it is unusual for 
a man to get a degree in medicine upon such short notice. 
Mr. Hodgdon later told one of the older faculty members, it 
is reported on good authority, that he held the degree of 
Doctor of Philosophy from Columbia University. When he 
first came to Valparaiso University he did not write this 
degree, but later it appeared in all the circulars and catalogues 
of the institution. We thought it strange that Mr. Hodgdon, 
so vain and self-conceited, had not paraded this Ph. D. before 
the public from the first. According to the Who's Who in 
America for 1920-21, Mr. Hodgdon did work in Columbia 
University with the view of obtaining the Ph. D. degree be- 
tween the years 1910 and 1912. Mr. Swenson wrote to the 
Registrar of Columbia University and received the following 
answer: 

March 21, 1921. 
Mr. I. F. Swenson, 

106 East Jefferson Street, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

In reply to your inquiry of March 15, I beg to advise you that Daniel 
Russel Hodgdon does not appear to have received any degrees from 
Columbia University. If you let me know the exact year in which he is 
supposed to have received a degree, I shall be very glad to investigate 
further. 

Yours very truly, 

Edward J. Grant, 

Registrar. 



148 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

Mr. Swenson's first inquiry pertained only to the matter 
of a degree. He wrote again inquiring whether Mr. Hodgdon 
had ever attended Columbia University, and received this 
reply : 

March 29, 1921. 
Mr. Ivar F. Swenson, 

106 East Jefferson Street, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

We do not find that Daniel Russel Hodgdon has been a student at 
Columbia University. 

Yours very truly, 

Edward J. Grant, 

Registrar. 

Mr. Swenson immediately wrote in reply, stating that there 
must,be some error in the records, inasmuch as Mr. Hodgdon 
had attended Columbia University between the years 1910-1912, 
according to the Who's Who in America for the year 1920-21. 
The Registrar of that institution replied: 

April 22, 1921. 
Mr. Ivar F. Swenson, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

If you have received letters from this office stating that Mr. Daniel 
Russel Hodgdon has not been a student in the University, I beg to 
correct the ^rror. Mr. Hodgdon was ai student at Columbia University 
during the academic years 1910-1911 and 1911-1912, as a candidate for 
the degree of Ph. D. I hope that the first erroneous advices from this 
office may not in any way have worked an injury to Mr. Hodgdon. 
They were written, I believe, by one of the clerks in this office over my 
rubber stamp signature — a practice that I am always reluctant to en- 
courage. Evidently the reference card in the general file was either 
out of its proper place, or was not discovered when it was being looked 
up. Another thing that threw us off the track was the omission of his 
name from the printed directory of students for the two years referred 
to. When reference was made, however, to the years during which he 
states that he was here, we had no difficulty in locating his record. 

Yours very truly, 

Edward J. Grant, 

Registrar. 

This last reply from the Registrar of Columbia University 
was used among those who did not understand the circum- 
stances as a weapon in favor of Mr. Hodgdon. They said 



THE CRISIS 149 

that it showed that we were wrong and that we had done a 
grave injustice to Mr. Hodgdon. But this was an error. The 
fact that we continually replied to the letters after we had 
obtained information to estabHsh our case shows that we had 
no motives other than to learn the truth about Mr. Hodgdon. 
Mr. Hodgdon said he held the degree of Ph. D. from Columbia 
University, and by a thorough investigation we learned that 
he did not hold such a degree from that institution. This is 
all we claimed to have discovered; we never disputed the fact 
that he was a student there, in spite of the error of the 
Registrar of that university. In reply to another letter, to 
be sure that we had done no injustice, we received this reply 
from Columbia: 

Mr. Ivar F. SwEnson, July 30, 1921. 

106 East Jefferson Street, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

Replying to your letter of July 23, I beg to advise you that I find 
nothing on record in this office to show that Mr. Hodgdon received his 
Ph. D. degree from Columbia University. He is on record as having 
taken some work for the Ph. D. degree. Errors sometimes occur here 
and there among the many thousands of records here on file. It would, 
therefore, be advisable to give a person a chance to show evidence of 
having received his degree in the form of a diploma or certificate, which 
is always issued. This seems to be the most proper and just method 
for one to follow before one makes positive statements regarding such 
matters. 

Yours very truly, 

Edward J. Grant, 

Registrar. 

One of Mr. Hodgdon's friends said that he denied saying 
that he received a Ph. D. degree from Columbia, but that he 
received it from Bates College. The Registrar of Bates Col- 
lege replied to the inquiry as follows: 

Mr. Ivar F. Svi'ENSON, April 18, 1921. 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: ^ 

Daniel Russel Hodgdon holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts from 
Bates College, obtained out of course as of the class of 1908. He has not 
received the degree of Ph. D. 

Sincerely, 

NOLA HONDLETTE, ^ 

Registrar. 



150 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

According to the official Catalogue of Potomac University, 
Mr. Hodgdon received a Master's degree in 1910 and the 
degree of Doctor of Science in 1917. We were very curious 
to know what kind of a university would confer these two 
degrees upon a man of Mr. Hodgdon's caliber. We wrote to 
Prof. Kendric Babcock, formerly specialist in higher educa- 
tion in the United States Bureau of Education, and now dean 
of the College of Liberal Arts in the State University of 
Illinois, asking him of the standing of Potomac University 
in the educational world, and received this reply: 

Mr. Ivar F. SwEnson, March 22, 1921. 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
My Dear Sir: 

I have your inquiry regarding the standing of Potomac University, 
Washington, D. C, and Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. 

The latter is an old standard New England college of small size, and 
rather narrow scope. It has had an excellent reputation for a quiet 
scholarship and for the sturdy quality of its students. 

The Potomac University, of Washington, D. C, as I knew it ten 
years ago was essentially a correspond^ce _ school of law, which gave 
degrees upon rather slight pretext and slender foundation. It was housed 
in a rather small residence in a remote part~of~the city. I should not 
like to call it exactly a fake, or a mere "degree mill" like its "neighbor 
Oriental University, but its generosity in conferring degrees left it 
open to severe criticism. I have had no recent knowledge of its practice, 
or standards, and do not know even whether it is still in existence. 

Yours very truly, 

K. C, Babcock. 

Not satisfied with one good authority, Mr, Swenson wrote 
to George F. Zook, specialist in higher education in the United 
States Bureau of Education. This is Mr. Zook's reply : 

Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Education, 

Washington. April 11, 1921. 

Mr. Ivar F. Swenson, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

Potomac University is a correspondence school located in this city. 
It is incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia, with 
authority to confer degrees. It may be said, however, that the require- 
ments of the laws in the District governing the matter of incorporation of 
educational institutions are so easy of fulfillment that many totally 
unworthy institutions are able to comply with them, . Potomac University 



THE CRISIS 151 

is not recognized either by the educational authorities in the several 
States nor by any reputable higher institution in this country, so far as 
we have information. Yours very sincerely, 

George F. Zook, 
Specialist, in Higher E^ducation. 

Taking Mr. Hodgdon at his own word, and looking over 
the various letterheads, circulars, bulletins, and ^catalogues of 
the University during his presidency, we find him laying claim 
to the following degrees : A. B., M. A., M. S., Sc. D., LL. D., 
M. D., and Ph. D. After a careful investigation, extending 
through several weeks of time, we found that Mr. Hodgdon, 
aside from his A. B., did not have a single degree that was 
worth the paper it was printed on. He received his M. S. 
and Sc. D. from Potomac University ; his LL. D. from Henry 
K. Brown ; and presumably his M. D. from Hahnemann Med- 
ical College, which, however, is no reflection on that institu- 
tion, since he was then their president and they asked him to 
resign as soon as they reahzed his standing ; and his Ph. D. 
is still one of the mysterious and elusive phantoms, the origin 
of which we have not been able to determine. This affair 
was certainly a matter of degrees ! One evening a student 
tacked upon the bulletin board this notice : "Lost, one Ph. D. 
Finder please return to University Office." 

Just before the student council passed the resolution re- 
questing Mr. Hodgdon to resign, Mr. H. T. Miller gave me 
the following clipping from the Moline Daily Dispatch; 

Dispatch Special Service 

Rock Island, March 28 — Rock Island has asked to be considered for 
the new location of Valparaiso University, which will be removed from 
the Indiana city of that name. Officers of the University are giving 
serious consideration to the proposal. 

Valparaiso University is an industrial and vocational University of 
high standing, having an enrollment of about 4,500 students. Valparaiso 
is a city of only about 6,500 persons, which indicates that most of the 
students come from distant points. 

Dreams of such an institution located on a picturesque Rock River 
ridge in a city that is the center of 140,000 population have been alluring 
both to officers of Valparaiso University and to persons who have been 
directing negotiations from here. 

^ Valparaiso Too Tight 

Failure of Valparaiso people to subscribe sufficiently to the proposed 
endowment fund of $500,000 caused the men jn control of the institution 



152 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

to plan its removal. When the information came to the Rock Island 
Chamber of Commerce a communication was directed to Dr'. Daniel R. 
Hodgdon, president of the University, asking that Rock Island be given 
consideration. 

The reply was that Rock Island's proposal would be .given considera- 
tion before definite action is taken, because of the city's advantageous 
location and the; opportunity for growth by the institution. That was by 
wire, and a letter followed, asking that a conference be arranged between 
Rock Island representatives and the University Board. The question will 
be before the members of the Chamber of Commerce April lo. 

Conditions of Removal 

President Hodgdon presented the following conditions the University 
might expect in event of removal to Rock Island: 

1. Present plant could be sold to some sectarian body and pro- 
ceeds given to development of institution at Rock Island. 

2. Necessary for Rock Island to give site. The buildings would be 
constructed only fast enough to take care of the student body that would 
be ready for Rock Island. 

3. Provisions for expansion would be necessary. There are two 
plans along which the University could grow, one through erection of tall 
buildings and the other, low buildings and many of them. The first 
plan would require a site twenty to twenty-five acres; the other, 100 to 
150 acres. 

Plans for growth would extend over forty to fifty years. The Univer- 
sity would aim to raise $10,000,000 in ten to fifteen years, one-half for 
endowment and one-half for equipment fund. 

It would be possible to start in Rock Island on $1,000,000. 

It is believed that a site near the Watch Tower would be ideal for the 
University. 

Upon inquiry among the different trustees of the University 
we learned that they were totally unacquainted with the con- 
tents of this news story. Thinking that it might possibly be 
no more than a fabrication of some newspaper reporter, 
Mr. Swenson wrote to the Rock Island Chamber of Com- 
merce and received this letter: 

Mr. Ivar F. Swenson, April 22, 1921. 

Valparaiso, Ind. 
Dear Sir: 

The information contained in the Moline Dispatch was correct. We 
have been corresponding with Dr. Hodgdon relative to Valparaiso Univer- 
sity removing to this city. 

Yours very truly. 
Rock Island Chamber of Commerce, 

Otto F. Hildebrandt, 
Managing Secretary. 



THE CRISIS 153 

When the Trustees learned about this affair and saw the 
letter, they asked Mr. Hodgdon whether he had corresponded 
with the Rock Island Chamber of Commerce relative to the 
sale of the University, and he replied that they gave him the 
authority to make s«ch an offer. All the trustees being 
present, one of them asked him which one gave him such 
authority. He immediately changed his statement and said 
that he did it in order to inspire the business men of the city 
to support the endowment campaign. Whatever his purpose 
may have been, the article and letter played a large part in 
shaking the confidence of the Trustees. 

When Mr. Hodgdon arrived in New York he received a 
very cool welcome by the New York Alumni Association. 
There was even some discussion as to whether they should 
permit him to speak at the banquet. Miss Elizabeth Rechen- 
berg had informed Mr. Roessler, then in New York, and 
several of the most prominent men in the association respect- 
ing the course of events in Valparaiso. At the banquet Mr. 
Hodgdon announced that President Harding would deliver 
the commencement address and he cordially invited as many 
as could to come to Valparaiso at that time. No one had 
ever heard of this before, so we wrote to the President in- 
quiring whether he was going to deliver the commencement 
address at Valparaiso this year. The reply is not conclusive 
and slightly dodges the question, but its general tone would 
indicate that the President had never made any such engage- 
ment: 

The White House 

Washington April 26, 1921. 

My Dear Mr. Pierce: 

In reply to your letter of April 28, the President requests me to say 
that he is very sorry it will not be possible for him to attend the 
Commencement exercises at Valparaiso University. 

Sincerely yours, 

Geo. B. Christian, Jr., 
Secretary to the President. 

Mr. Hodgdon had been informed through several sources 
the situation which he was now in. When he returned from 



154 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

the East he wore a broad smile on his face, very likely think- 
ing that he could thus make the students and teachers believe 
that he had been successful in obtaining money for the in- 
stitution from wealthy men in the East. He was determined 
that he would not resign. It was finally necessary for the 
Trustees to send Dean Bowman, of the Law Department, to 
tell him that if he did not resign he would be discharged. He 
was indignant at Professor Bowman and refused to converse 
with him. He then made an attempt to discharge those mem- 
bers of the faculty who had signed the petitions asking for 
his resignation. He even told one of the teachers at the dinner 
table in Altruria Hall that he was discharged. Several teachers 
were called up to his office and requested to remove their 
names from the petition. There was now only one thing 
that the Trustees could do. On the 23d of April, 1921, the 
Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Valparaiso 
University met in Mr. Jeffrey's office in the Farmers State 
Bank and unanimously passed this resolution introduced by 
Mr. Maurice R. Lowenstine : 

Valparaiso, Ind., April 23, 1921. 

Be It Resolved, That Daniel R. Hodgdon, the now President of 
Valparaiso University, be and he is hereby discharged and dismissed as 
such President, said dismissal to be effective immediately f 

Be It Further Resolved, That J. E. Roessler be appointed President 
pro tern of Valparaiso University, said J. E. Roessler to serve in said 
capacity until the further order of this committee; 

Be It Further Resolved, That A. A. Williams be and is hereby ap- 
pointed Vice-President pro tem of Valparaiso University, said A. A. 
Williams tO' serve in said capacity until the further order of this com- 
mittee; 

Be It Further Resolved, That Charles L. Jeffrey be and is hereby 
directed to at once inform the said Daniel R. Hodgdon of the action of 
this committee. 

Mr. Hodgdon refused to recognize the authority of the 
Board of Trustees and continued to act as President of the 
institution. Finally, two days after he was officially dismissed 
and discharged by the Board of Trustees, in order to have his 
revenge, he gave the following letter of resignation to the 
Executive Committee, at the same time giving it to the Asso- 
ciated Press : 



THE CRISIS 155 

Valparaiso, Ind., April 25, 1921. 
Board of Trustees, 

Valparaiso University, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Gentlemen: 

Valparaiso University is one of America's greatest potential assets. It 
should oflfer opportunity for the expression of all the great ideals con- 
nected with the development of university life in America. It should be 
an American institution first and last. For many years Valparaiso has 
stood for the best in American manhood and womanhood, denying full 
opportunity to no one knocking at its doors. 

After the death of Henry Baker Brown and the retirement of his co- 
worker, Oliver Ferry Kinsey, Henry Kinsey Brown, the son of the 
founder, became President. During his administration, athletics, frater- 
nities and social gatherings were permitted. Previously, discovery of 
participation in any of the above activities meant expulsion. Under this 
rule hundreds of students who afterward became successful men and 
women of affairs were expelled from the institution, evidencing the 
fact that all these activities existed, in secret, for over thirty years. 

A careful study of the past history and present status clearly indicated 
the wisdom of giving right direction to these activities rather than at- 
tempting their suppression. 

Fraternities today, made up as they are of young' men of high ideals, 
stand for the highest principles in college life. The fundamental aim of 
such fraternities is the loyal support of the administration of the Univer- 
sity and our governmental institutions. 

Valparaiso University consists of individuals representing all classes 
from extreme radicalism to conservative loyalists. 

There has existed a wide difference of opinion among both trustees 
and teachers as to these activities, and in addition to this, there has been 
fostered by faculty and outsiders, bolshevism, communism and other cults, 
the practice of which is destructive to American ideas and principles. 
Unsigned letters have mysteriously come to my desk, warning me against 
the principles I have preached; namely, loyalty to Americanism and 
American industrial life as the basis of Anierican citizenship. I have 
been visited by so-called "Reds" and foreign-born members of organiza- 
tions claiming to be backed by strong outside and inside influences in 
the attempt to force me to proclaim myself against doctrines of Ameri- 
canism and industrial education. Such representations, undoubtedly, are 
part of a deep-laid plan to make Valparaiso the center of radical teaching. 
It is possible that much of the unrest of college life today is due to these 
destructive outside influences, aimed to destroy the basic principles upon 
which this government is founded. 

Believing that my efforts should largely be put forth to carrying the 
objective, particularly during this and the ensuing period, a large propor- 
tion of such energies should not be devoted to overcoming inside com- 
petition. 

A full expression of the vision I have for a great American educa- 



156 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

tional institution seems impracticable, and I, therefore, tender my resigna- 
tion, to take effect August 1, 1921, and respectfully request a leave of 
absence — the period to be determined by you — sufficient to prepare for 
work in other fields of activity. 

Yours very truly, 
(Signed) Daniel Russel Hodgdon. 

After Mr. Hodgdon had finally been forced from the col- 
lege office, he still remained about the campus. It was neces- 
sary for the authorities to forbid him from eating at the 
Altruria dining hall. Several days later he wrote again to 
the Board of Trustees as follows : 

May 3, 1921. 
To THE Executive Committee, 

Board of Trustees, 

Valparaiso University, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sirs: 

To date I have not received any communication from you or from 
the full board accepting my resignation, as President of Valparaiso 
University. I resigned that I might get out into the open and fight this 
propaganda of bolshevism, syndicalism, communism as a red blooded 
American should fight unhampered by your vacillating policies of indif- 
ference and non-support which has spelled disaster for an institution 
of this character, and your inability to handle the financial situation of 
the institution. I believe certain members of the American Legion are 
fully cognizant of the situation and desire te have established a condition 
of law and order here. Teachers are resigning and students are leaving 
because of your indifference to a situation which is critical. 

It is high time a meeting of the full board was called, which is 
your duty in a case like this, and proper steps taken to back definitely 
some policy to clean up a situation which is impossible and un-American. 
I have had this condition to meet without your support and without the 
proper backing, and I wish to be free to take steps necessary to fight the 
spread of un-American ideals in institutions of higher learning. That 
opportvmity is open to me now. We have no room in this country for 
anything but a democracy of law and order. Foreign isms are not 
wanted here and should not be tolerated in the University. 

Let me call the matter to your attention that all actions of your 
self -constituted Executive Committee of the Board are subject to the 
approval or disapproval of the full Board of Trustees. Early action by 
the full Board on my resignation will be appreciated. 

Sincerely, 

D. R. Hodgdon, 

On the same day the Secretary of the Board replied to 
Mr. Hodgdon's letter: 



THE CRISIS 157 

May 3, 1921. 
Dr. D. R. Hodgdon, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

Your letter of May 3rd, stating that you have not received any 
communication from the Executive Committee of Valparaiso University 
accepting your resignation, is received. 

i am instructed by the Board that employed you on July 10, 1920, 
to say to you that you were by resolution of the Executive Committee 
adopted prior to the receipt of your resignation, discharged and dismissed. 
You, while President of this University, had ample opportunity to know 
the doings of the Committee and the Board. The Committee not desiring 
to humiliate you, did not make your discharge public; but you at all 
times had access to the records on mere request. 

As to the acceptance of your resignation, I am instructed to say to 
you that your resignation was, on receipt of the same, promptly accepted. 

As to the balance of your communication, the same being insulting in 
its nature and untrue in fact, I do not deem it worthy of a reply. As 
far as the University is concerned, you are a free agent. 

Yours truly, 

Maurice R. L,owenstine. 

Meanwhile Mr. Hodgdon's resignation had brought forth 
a storm of newspaper comment regarding the charges of 
Bolshevism at Valparaiso University. Mr. Pierce received the 
following letter from Mr. Frank McHale, chairman of the 
Americanism Committee of the Indiana Department of the 
American Legion : 

lyOGANSPORT, Ind., April 26, 1921. 
Mr. Jack Pierce, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
My Dear Mr. Pierce: 

The metropolitan papers this morning carry some very startling 
statements concerning the disloyalty that exists in the City of Val- 
paraiso and among the University students. 

The several statements attributed to President Hodgdon have been 
interpreted to be a direct attack upon the men who are enjoying voca- 
tional training at the University. These statements are derogatory, if 
the inference is correct, unless they are substantiated by positive evidence. 

A great number of these men, some of whom I know personally, 
are members of the American Legion and men of character. 

In view of this fact our committee is desirous of knowing the truth 
and I am calling upon you to submit an explanation of this trouble and 
of these statements to this committee of which I am chairman. 

I have also written the President and the Local Post in order that 
we might be fully advised in this matter. Would suggest that you obtain 



'<t 



158 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

the statements of at least five men who are taking vocational training to 
substantiate these statements you may make. 

Trusting that you realize these statements reflect upon the loyalty of 
all ex-service men and particularly upon the men who are in vocational 
training, and that you will give this your immediate and careful atten- 
tion, I am, 

Sincerely yours, 

Frank M. McHale. 

Mr, Pierce's reply, substantiated by officers of the Re- 
habilitation Club, and other Federal Board organizations, was 
as follows : 

April 28, 1921. 
Mr. Frank M. McHai,e, 

Logansport, Indiana. 
Dear Mr. McHale: 

Your letter of April 26th received and we Federal Board men in 
training here, very much appreciate the interest your action shows you 
are taking in us. 

In regard to the statements of Dr. Hodgdon, probably you have seen 
yesterday's Chicago Herald Examiner, which answered those state- 
ments. I enclose a clipping from a Valparaiso daily giving a full answer, 
from the Board of Trustees of the University. 

You will understand that these statements were made by Dr. Hodgdon 
in the spiteful mood resulting from being forced, to resign because of 
incompetency. He was too small a man for the presidency of a great 
university, and his smallness showed itself in this final vindictive outburst 
— an attempt to injure Valparaiso University by these libelous statements. 

Probably one of his objects was to get the University in bad with the 
Federal Government and so prevent it from obtaining the expected con- 
tract for a larger number of Federal Board men. 

This University, like most others, has men of many beliefs. But no 
"Reds" have manifested their presence here. The "Reds" referred to 
in the metropolitan papers are the products solely of Dr. Hodgdon's 
deliberately falsifying pen. 

I am enclosing a resolution unanimously adopted by the Federal 
Board men in training here. 

If you receive a statement from Dr. Hodgdon, 'we would appreciate 
it very much if you would send us a cop}'. 

Jack Pierce. 

The resolution unanimously adopted by the Federal Board 
men in training at Valparaiso and mentioned by Mr. Pierce 
in his letter is as follows : 

Whereas, statements have recently been made public to the effect 
that the Federal Board men at Valparaiso University are Bolshevistic, 
Communistic, and disloyal to the University; and 



THE CRISIS 159 

Whereas, we know such statements to be without foundation and a 
libel upon the Federal Board men here; 

Therefore, we, the members of the Federal Board in training at 
Valparaiso University, do hereby declare the falsity of any and all such 
statements; and further. 

Although the Federal men are in no way responsible for the recent 
removal of Dr. Daniel Russel Hodgdon from the Presidency, yet we do 
believe that such removal is in the best interests of the University and of 
the Federal Board; and further, 

We do hereby express our confidence in and support of the trustees 
of the University and of the administration of John E. Roessler as 
President and A. A. Williams as Vice-President; and further, 

We do hereby express our satisfaction with the present staff of 
teachers and we wish hereby to indicate that we are pleased to remain 
under their instruction. 

The local post of the American Legion, also offended by 
Mr. Hodgdon's statements, drew up and adopted this resolu- 
tion: 



The American Legion 

Charles Pratt Post No. 94 

Valparaiso, Indiana 

Whereas, one Daniel Russel Hodgdon, deposed President of Val- 
paraiso University, has caused to be published in the metropolitan news- 
papers repeated interviews in which he charged by inference, innuendo 
and broad insinuations that the wounded ex-service men attending the 
University were guilty of spreading Bolshevik and Communistic doctrines, 
disloyal to the Government. 

And Whereas, the said Hodgdon has failed to produce a particle 
of tangible evidence to support his charge and insinuations. 

And Whereas, the accused ex-service men are all bearing scars and 
wounds received while loyally defending their country's honor on the 
field of battle while Hodgdon remained snugly at home. 

Therefore, be it resolved that the Charles Pratt Post No. 94, Ameri- 
can Legion, Valparaiso, Indiana, does hereby emphatically denounce the 
said Daniel Russel Hodgdon as a faker and a coward, who endeavors to 
cover his own deficiencies by besmirching the good name of honest men. 

Attest 
Otho F. Helvie, Claude S. Beach, 

Post Commander. Post Adjutant. 

The various impressions gained from Mr. Hodgdon's 
charges may be gathered from the following letters, only a few 
of the many expressions of the public and the alumni : 



160 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

Newport, Ind., April 26, 1921. 
Mr. Jack Pierce, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Sir: 

I wish to compliment you upon your stand in putting your president 
of the University out of commission. If things are as I have been 
informed that they are, it is my opinion that you did right and you do 
not need to stop with ousting the president, but send all of his adherents 
with him. I attended the University years ago for about three months 
and I know the spirit of the institution. Such accusations as the 
president put out we know to be false; there are no more loyal 
young men and women in the United States than those that have been 
educated at Valparaiso University. The writer is a graduate of our 
Indiana State University and he knows to what you object and if you 
lack any force to put the intruders out you better issue a call for 
former students to assemble. We know those gentlemen who are trying 
to hold the former president in his place. They have their kindred 
in every college and university and I am glad you have come to the 
front and put them out of commission as well as the president. The 
former president has been trying to brand you as Russians of the 
extreme element but any former student knows the other persons and 
know that if there are any ruffians in the camp that they are the ones 
and not the students who object to the former president. Right 
minded students should flock to your assistance at once for it takes quick 
action to kill off such propaganda as was sought to be fostered in your 
school. Business men everywhere should rally to your support. We 
want our poor boys and girls to have an education and you cannot do 
it with those fellows in your school. They are not good for anything 
but cause trouble. 

Yours with respect, 

E. E. NeeL, 

Attorney at I,aw. 
H. C. R. Norriss, M. D. 
Sharron, N. D. 

April 27, 1921. 
Chairman Board of Trustees, 

Valparaiso College, 
Valparaiso, Ind. 
Sir: 

I note with interest that the President of your college has resigned, 
because the student body has turned Bolshevik. You know that the 
Russian revolution was started by college students, and you should know 
that the publicity given the condition in your college will tend to induce 
the students of other colleges to follow suit — and you should know that 
our Nation is in a very precarious condition today, and be willing to 
do your bit to enable us to meet and pass this crisis. 

First I must call your attention to the fact that "a crank is one that 
thinks different from the usual run of mankind." It is reasonable to 



. THE CRISIS 161 

assume that your faculty thinks in accordance to the usual run of 
mankind, and it has proved that it is not able to counteract the teach- 
ings of the Bolsheviks. Therefore you need the services of some one 
that thinks different from the usual run, "a crank." 

Now I beg leave to inform you that I am a crank. I will guarantee 
to turn 90 per cent of your students back to American ideals and con- 
stitutional government by the means of three lectures entitled "Civiliza- 
tion," "GoA-ernment," and "The Rule of Right." 

I will also make your faculty do more connected coherent thinking 
than it ever did in its life before. 

You to pay me three thousand dollars and expenses if a vote taken 
proves that I have made my guarantee good. Nothing if I do not make 
good. 

Very respectfully yours, 

H. C. R. NoRRiss. 

KoKOMO, Ind., April 27, 1921. 
Mr. Jack Pierce, 

President Student Council, 
Valparaiso University, 
Dear Sir: 

Newspaper stories coming to my attention, and the statements made 
by Doctor Hodgdon, have somewhat aroused the ire in me in challenging 
the loyalty and patriotism of my own college, and discrediting the 
memory of my old friends, and I am offering my services to the Univer- 
sity, and to your Council, in afiy manner that I may humbly assist you. 
In my opinion a man who would question the loyalty and patriotism 
of our wonderful institution is below the standard of good Americanism, 
and is either insane or a crank with a selfish design. 

I am proud to say that I am one of Judge Jones' boys, of the Class 
of 1901, and ready and willing to stand and fight any abuse or attack 
that might be an imputation upon his character, or the character of the 
many men associated with him. 

Six of my fellow lawyers in Kokomo join with me in this position. 
I beg to remain. 

Sincerely, 

F. T. BvERs. 

Lawyer. 

Mr. Jack Pierce. April 30, 1921. 

Chairman, Student Council, 
Valparaiso University. 
Dear Sir: 

Cannot understand why Valparaiso's troubles cannot be adjusted 
without all this newspaper publicity. It is your obvious duty to protect 
the University's name, and would suggest you take action accordingly. 

Yours for Valparaiso, 

A. L. Stefeenson.'.,, 
Class '12. 
11 



162 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

Here are a few of the many letters of confidence 
which the new administration received: 

April 27, 1921. 
Prof. J. E. Roessler, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. 
My Dear Professor Roessler: 

During the past few days I have noted the general tear-up and storm 
center that has struck Valparaiso University. In the reorganization of 
the institution I see that you landed as president ad interim, and I hope 
it may be made permanent. The institution will need such a person as 
yourself to steady it down for a while. 

With kindest personal regards and best wishes, I am, 

Very truly yours, 

D. A. RoTHROOK. 

May 2, 1921. 
Dear Mr. Roessler: 

I see by the Vidette you and Mr. Williams are in charge, and I am 
very glad. Now you can do something. There will be discouragements 
and tribulations, but I have never yet lost all my faith. There will be 
a school. 

O. P. KiNSEY. 

Bo.\RD OF Trustees, St. Petersburg, Fla., May 11, 1921. 

Valparaiso University. 
Gentlemeti: 

I very gladly express my approval of your selection of Messrs. 
Roessler and Williams as acting president and vice-president for Val- 
paraiso University. If the matter had been referred to me, I would 
have- made exactly the same choice. 

I have known these men nearly all their lives. I knew them as 
students in the University, and also for a number of years as members 
of the faculty when I was vice-president, and also for seven years 
acting president. They are men of splendid accomplishment in their 
specialties. They are also men of very high integrity and not a bit 
afraid of hard work. They have always been in thorough sympathy with 
the ideas and purposes of the original founder of the school, Henry 
Baker Brown, and I am sure they have not lost their faith. 

They will serve the institution well so long as your board may require 
their services. 

Respectfully, 

Oliver P. Kinsev. 

Back in Shelbyville, Illinois, in Mr. Roessler's old 
• home town, sixty-one of his old friends and neighbors 
drew up the following expression of joy upon hearing 
that Mr. Roessler had been made President of Valpa- 
raiso University: 



THE CRISIS 163 

ShElbyville, III., April 30, 1921. 
Prof. John E). Roessler, 

Valparaiso, Indiana. • 

Dear Dr. Roessler: 

We, the undersigned, a few of 3^our old friends, have seen with 
pleasure that you have been chosen President of the great school of 
Valparaiso. 

It gives your old friends reflected honor to have one of our former 
citizens selected for such an influential, useful and honorable office, 
and we congratulate you on your elevation. 

We are proud of the record of your old home town. While we 
are modest people, we can point with pride to some of our products: 
Dr. Charles T. Reber, one- of the first to discover the germ theory; 
Judge Anthony Thornton, a friend and contemporary of Lincoln; 
Gen. Wra. F. Thornton, the first president of the Illinois and Michigan 
Canal; and George R. Wendling, the famous orator; and Augusta 
Cottlow, the world renowned pianist. Your distinguished brother. Gen. 
Solomon Roessler, and now yourself at the head of one of our most 
successful and progressive colleges. 

From our knowledge of you and your ancestor and yovtr father's 
service in the war with Mexico, we are certain that so far as you have 
the power and influence, the pupils of your school will learn nothing 
that is not to the honor and promotion of the best thought and interest 
of our whole country. Clean and absolute Americanism. 

The Board of Trustees, in order to counteract the 
charges made by Mr. Hodgdon, published this official 
account of his discharge: 

May 10, 1921. 
Dear Sir: 

Recent issues of metropolitan papers have contained articles under 
various captions relative to the conditions said to prevail at Valparaiso 
University. The nation-wide publicity given these articles has led the 
members of the Board of Trustees to the decision that an official state- 
ment should be made detailing the facts as they actually exist. 

The truth is that Doctor Hodgdon proved himself an incompetent and 
inefficient executive, wholly out of sympathy and harmony with students, 
faculty and all the traditions and principles upon which the institution 
was founded and upon which it has grown and existed for more than 
forty years. Students said they would not accept diplomas bearing his 
signature as president, so. complete was their lack of confidence in and 
respect for him, and finally the faculty, many of whom had grown old in 
the service of the institution, could no longer endure the conditions 
he had created and threatened to resign in a body unless Hodgdon was 
removed. The Board of Trustees themselves strained to the breaking 
point by repeated evidence of his incompetence and mismanagement. 



164 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

could do nothing less than yield to public pressure and demand his 
resignation. This was done by resolution of the Executive Committee 
of the Board on April 23, 1921. 

A flamboyant "letter of resignation" was received from him on 
April 27th, the very day of the publication in the Chicago papers of an 
article asserting his remarkable discovery that the University was a 
hot-bed of bolshevism and communism and other cults. His resignation, 
therefore, required no acceptance since it was in response to a demand. 
It is therefore evident that in an attempt to cover his own failure to 
make good, he resorted to the tricks of a demagogue, preferring charges 
of bolshevism against both students and faculty. Such charges are 
absurd and ridiculous, but since they may have received some credence 
from those who are not in possession of the truth, we feel that the 
facts should be given as much publicity as his attacks on us have received. 

Let emphasis be laid upon the fact that Doctor Hodgdon has not 
produced one single bit of evidence to substantiate his statements. He 
-expects the public to believe him because he says it is so. The secret 
investigation carried on by government and other agencies has not 
produced a particle of concrete evidence of which we have been made 
aware, the otherwise astute doctor having evidently overlooked an 
opportunity to plant some such evidence for discovery. 

The most convincing proof of the absolute falsity of his claims is tlial 
the Federal Government after complete and satisfactory investigation, 
have this week entered into a contract with Valparaiso University to 
send here hundreds of ex-service men for special training. Almost 
two himdred ex-service men have been in attendance at Valparaiso 
University during the past year. These are the men who wore the 
uniform in the battle front while Doctor Hodgdon, himself of military 
age, saw no service and now has the elfrontery to declare these and 
other men bolsheviks, communists and disloyal citizens. 

Doctor Hodgdon now plans to tour the country and tell wherever 
he can find an audience, of "Bolshevism in American Universities." 
Chicago and Kansas City are to receive early visitations and others as 
soon as his time and talents will permit. 

He evidently plans to pose as a martyr and seeks to capitalize his 
own downfall by declaring to the world that he is a victim of bolshevistic 
and communistic organizations and asserting that the University trustees, 
faculty and townspeople are in league with them. 

We hope that in fairness to an institution which has always stood 
"four-square" to the world, and which will continue to exemplify the 
best in American life and traditions, you will read this letter carefully 
and publish what in your judgment is the uncompromising truth. 

C. Nash Jeffrey, President, 
M. R. LowENSTiNE, Secretary, 
Geo. F. Beach, Treasurer, 
G. H. StonER, Vice-President, 

Board of Trustees, 
Endorsed hy Valparaiso Cliamber of Commerce, May 5, 1921. 



THE CRISIS 165 

One of the first official acts of Mr. Roessler as President 
of the University was to dismiss the charges against'^Mr. 
Pierce and to re-instate myself. A few weeks later Mr. 
Pierce received this official letter from the administration: 

Mr. Jack Pierce, 

President, Student Council, 
Valparaiso, Indiana. 
Dear Mr. Pierce: 

Your Student Council has been reinstated in full standing. It is 
my desire that you notify the other members of the council to that effect. 
Sincerely, 

J. E^. Roessler, 

President of Valparaiso University. 

Confidence was restored in every department of the 
institution just as soon as it was announced that Mr. 
Roessler had been elected President of the University 
and Mr. Williams Vice-President. Mr. Roessler told the 
students that he and Mr, Williams had no intention of dis- 
turbing any social activities which did not interfere with 
the prime purpose of college life — hard study. He said 
that the institution would continue athletics, but as sub- 
ordinate to the fundamental principles of the school. 
Hard work, economy, and democracy must again dominate 
the life in Valparaiso University. Fraternities are to be 
subordinate to these same principles and traditions. To 
ofifer every man and woman the best possible instruction 
at the lowest possible cost is once more the mission of 
the institution founded by Mr. Brown and so long and 
successfully managed by him and his friend, Mr. Kinsey. 
The students, alumni, and teachers again have faith in the 
principles for which these two men gave the greater part 
of their lives. 

The trustees were successful in obtaining a very val- 
uable contract with the government. The enemies of the 
school have taken this as an argument against the future 
of the institution. They are spreading the propaganda 
that when these Federal Board men arrive the college will 
no longer be a decent place to attend school. They seem 
to be under the impression that the proper way to treat 



166 STORY OF VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY 

a man who has spent several years fighting in defense of 
his a(E>untry to maintain the stars and stripes untainted by 
foreign domination, is to bar him from our colleges and 
universities. But Valparaiso University will always wel- 
come the man who oflfered his life for his country. She 
has not forgotten those long days of suffering undergone 
during the World War, and she will offer opportunity to 
these men to make the best of their lives. She stands 
with outstretched arms to receive and welcome the battle- 
scarred veterans who oflfered their lives that the great 
principles for which she stands might endure and not 
perish from the face of the earth. The Federal Board 
ofifers Valparaiso Universitj^ one of the greatest oppor- 
tunities in her whole history to fulfill her purpose accord- 
ing to the principles upon which she was founded. Those 
who think that because a man has been wounded in battle, 
he is not fit to mingle with other people upon the same 
social plane, are not the kind of people whom Valparaiso 
University is endeavoring to supply with the opportunities 
of education. Federal Board men, just like everyone else, 
should be judged according to their merits, and not by 
the fact that they are Federal Board men. 

Valparaiso University is now governed by a Board of 
Trustees, consisting of men peculiarly interested in the 
welfare of the institution. The papers making the transfer 
have been completed and are open to inspection. They 
have been examined by official legal representatives of 
several of the alumni associations, all of whom find that 
there are no flaws in the organization and that the trans- 
fer is complete and absolute. The Brown family has 
severed all connection with the school, and the manage- 
ment is subject to no outside power except such pressure 
as might be brought to bear bj'' those controlling the 
indebtedness of the University. The Trustees plan to 
float a bond issue among the alumni and business men of 
the country, to take the debts of the institution out of 
the hands of those not peculiarly interested in the school 
and place them in the hands of the alumni. 

Pres. John E. Roessler embodies the principles and 



THE CRISIS 167 

culture of Valparaiso University as no other man does. He 
has been connected with the institution for nearly forty 
years. He understands the limitations and the weaknesses 
of the school and also the strong features of its organiza- 
tion. He understands the students, the faculty, and the 
alumni. His long and faithful services as a teacher, his 
unselfish devotion to the advancement of education, in- 
sure the success of the University in the future. Mr. 
Williams is an able economist, who has had successful 
executive experience as President of the N.ormal Institute 
at Bloomfield, Iowa. He understands the present needs 
of the institution, and he and Mr. Roessler will together 
solve the problems with which the school will be con- 
fronted in the years to come. The Trustees could not 
have secured the services of two men more fitted for the 
particular tasks than Mr. Roessler' and Mr. Williams. 
They are both honest and everyone has complete confi- 
dence in their ability to successfully conduct the business 
management of the University. 

A few weeks ago Mr. and Mrs. Kinsey appeared in 
chapel. In all the history of the institution, no other man 
ever received so warm and sincere a welcome by the 
people of Valparaiso. Though Mr. Kinsey will not be 
able to assume any executive responsibility in the ad- 
ministration of the University, those in charge will always 
have access to his counsel and wisdom. When Mr. 
Kinsey appeared in chapel and walked again on the 
campus, the old spirit and traditions returned to Val- 
paraiso University, and his friendly visits to the school 
are only a presage of the strength and power of the 
prosperity of the future. The principles and traditions 
of Valparaiso University can not, must not, will not, 
perish. 



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